Corticoids: their use in the pathology of the oral mucosa.

The etiology of a great number of processes that affect the oral mucosa is yet quite unclear. It is generally known that many of them develop into a chronic and unspecific inflammatory process, occasionally of possible immunologic cause. Treatment therefore is not aimed on their cause but on their symptoms. Due to their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties, corticoids continue to be the first drug of choice. However, the chronicity of these types of processes together with the wide variety of adverse effects that corticoids can cause on a long-term basis, make their use complex and empirical. Guidelines of variable application are used depending on the clinical manifestations, the individual susceptibility and the evolution of the disease. The most commonly used corticoids in oral pathology, the different routes of administration and the possible guidelines and precautions proposed by diverse authors to control the disease and to decrease the possible adverse effects derived from corticotherapy are described.