Oral medicine and oral cancer: tertiary syphilis of the palate: practice question

A Dentistry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Dentistry · Oral medicine and oral cancer: tertiary syphilis of the palate

Sample item

A man who never received treatment for an infection acquired years ago has a painless, necrotic destructive lesion in the midline of the hard palate that has perforated into the nasal cavity. He has a nasal voice. What is the lesion?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Gumma

A gumma is a granulomatous destructive lesion of tertiary syphilis; in the mouth it favours the hard palate, where it can perforate into the nose. Primary and secondary lesions appear much earlier.

Option by option

  • A. Chancre

    A chancre is the painless primary ulcer at the inoculation site within weeks.

  • B. Mucous patch

    Mucous patches are shallow grey erosions of secondary syphilis and do not perforate.

  • C. Condyloma lata

    Condyloma lata are moist papules of secondary syphilis.

  • D. Gumma (correct)

    Correct. A late destructive palatal lesion with perforation is a syphilitic gumma.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Dentistry question

What is the answer to this Dentistry question?

The best answer is D, Gumma. A gumma is a granulomatous destructive lesion of tertiary syphilis; in the mouth it favours the hard palate, where it can perforate into the nose.

Why is "Chancre" not the answer?

A chancre is the painless primary ulcer at the inoculation site within weeks.

Why is "Mucous patch" not the answer?

Mucous patches are shallow grey erosions of secondary syphilis and do not perforate.

Why is "Condyloma lata" not the answer?

Condyloma lata are moist papules of secondary syphilis.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Oral medicine and oral cancer: tertiary syphilis of the palate in Dentistry. Primary and secondary lesions appear much earlier.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Oral medicine and oral cancer: tertiary syphilis of the palate?

Learn the dental formula, eruption ages and tooth structure once, as tables. Then use the flashcards and the other Dentistry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.