Oral manifestations of erythema multiforme

Erythema multiforme is a reactive mucocutaneous disorder. The vascular reactivity results from the host immunologic response to an antigenic challenge, such as virus infection or drug therapy The spectrum of erythema multiforme ranges from a relatively mild, self-limited exanthematic cutaneous disease to a severe, fulminating, potentially fatal mucocutaneous condition requiring admission to an intensive care burn unit. The oral lesions of the spectrum of erythema multiforme are an important component of the disease and represent, by themselves, an oral variant of erythema multiforme.