Chronic stomatitis: an early sign of Crohn's disease.

The authors describe an 11-year-old boy who had persistent oral lesions that clinically mimicked first-episode herpetic stomatitis. A biopsy revealed noncaseating sterile granulomas. Investigation of the small and large bowels revealed that the child had Crohn's disease. The oral lesions responded favorably to topical steroid therapy. The authors also discuss the range of oral lesions in inflammatory bowel disease and the differential diagnoses.