Allium sativum: Oral mucosal burn

Introduction: Oral medicine practitioner has reported many cases of chemical burn in the oral mucosa. Inappropriate self-treatment with topical application of various therapeutic or non-therapeutic agents often causes chemical burns. Garlic is a century old herb, commonly used in culinary which can cause oral mucosal burns when misused. Case Description: A male patient aged 55 years, reported to the department with a history of tooth pain since one month which had increased in intensity 3 days back. To alleviate the dental pain he had applied crushed raw garlic (Allium sativum) at the site of pain for 60 minutes consecutively for 3 days before visiting the hospital. On intra-oral clinical examination, white pseudo membranous lesion surrounded by erythema was noted on right posterior maxillary and mandibular attach gingiva. At the site of crushed raw garlic application, localized tissue necrosis was observed. The patient was advised to stop self-treatment with raw garlic and was prescribed systemic and topical analgesics to relieve the dental pain. Conclusion: This case report highlights the importance of clinical case history recording. The oral physician should be aware of the herbs like garlic which are commonly used to alleviate pain, which can cause adverse effects like mucosal burn if used inappropriately.