The aim of this study was to investigate the recent tendency of first-time patients examined at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry of a university hospital in central Tokyo to be affected by mucosal disease. We conducted a survey of 315 children (181 boys, 134 girls; infancy to 15 years of age, mean age 4.7 years, largest age group 6 years) who first visited our hospital between April 2010 and March 2016 for an oral mucosal condition. They comprised 6.8% of all pediatric patients who visited for the first time during this 6-year span. Of those 315 patients with oral mucosal complaints, 243 were from the 23 wards of Tokyo, 26 lived in other areas of Tokyo, and 46 lived outside of Tokyo. Moreover, 221 were referred from another hospital or dental clinic, whereas 104 patients came without a referral letter.

The investigated patients were diagnosed with various forms of oral mucosal lesions, including ankyloglossia (n=91), abnormal superior labial frenulum (n=58), and mucosal cysts (n=53). Following the initial examination, a medical follow-up examination was recommended for 263 and mucosa treatment for 37, while referral to another professional within the hospital, such as an oral surgeon or speech-language-hearing specialist, was recommended for 15. Most of the 6-year-olds were diagnosed with ankyloglossia. A majority of patients who underwent a frenotomy procedure, or received either speech therapy or evaluation by a speech-language-hearing specialist were 5 years old. Of the 7-year-old patients, most showed an abnormal superior frenulum and underwent a frenotomy. Patients with a mucosal cyst ranged in age from 1 to 8 years, most of whom underwent enucleation at 5 to 7 years old.

Young children with oral mucosal lesions are increasingly coming to our university hospital, thus accurate diagnosis is necessary to determine whether medical or surgical treatment is needed. For management of patients with oral mucosal lesions, cooperation of university hospital dental staff with those of nearby hospitals and dental clinics, as well as other specialists within the university hospital, including oral surgeons and speech-language-hearing therapists, is vital.