Impacto da Sífilis Congênita no Desenvolvimento Oral: Consequências e Estratégias de Prevenção na Odontologia Pediátrica

Abstract

The occurrence of congenital syphilis in children has shown a progressive increase in Brazil in recent years, as shown by data from the latest Epidemiological Bulletin released by the Ministry of Healt. Symptoms may appear in the first weeks of life, and oral manifestations may serve as a significant diagnostic indicator for disease control. In view of this, the present study, through a literature review, aims to present current data on the panorama of epidemiological data on congenital syphilis in children in Brazil, the main oral signs and the impacts of the disease on oral development in infected children. To search and select studies, the following indexers were used: Google Scholar and SciELO. As a search selection for articles, terms such as: “congenital syphilis”, “congenital syphilis oral manifestations”, “congenital syphilis children”, “oral manifestations congenital syphilis child”, “"oral congenital syphilis”, “congenital syphilis pediatrics” were used. As exclusion criteria, articles published more than 20 years ago or that did not fit within the scope of the research were excluded. Therefore, it can be seen through the literature that the disease can cause serious damage to the development of the fetus and child. Oral symptoms in children with the disease may include facial and dental abnormalities, neurological disorders, nasal obstruction, ulcers, craniofacial malformations with the occurrence of frontal bossing, saddle-shaped nose, hypoplastic teeth, oral malformations. These changes compromise the correct development of teeth, and in more serious cases, can lead to the death of fetuses, newborns and children. Therefore, the dentist is of utmost importance in diagnosing the disease and clinical signs, to lead to a better choice of appropriate treatment for the patient.