Introduction:

Syphilis is an infectious disease caused by the anaerobic bacteria Treponema pallidum, and can be transmitted either by sexual contact or vertically (maternal-fetal transmission).

The clinical manifestations of syphilis are divided into three phases:

the first two being highly infectious. The lack of knowledge of the disease by pregnant women can lead to congenital syphilis, which can cause death of newborns, or dire consequences to their development, as it occurs with the Hutchinson’s triad. Due to a rise in syphilis cases, the disease has caused an increasing rebound of concern in health professionals, both in the public and private spheres.

Objective:

Thus, the goal of this essay is, by means of narrative literature review, to approach the main aspects of the disease, clarifying the diagnosis, its clinical presentation, oral manifestations, treatment and prevention.

Sources of data:

A bibliographic survey has been made via Pubmed, Lilacs, and Google Scholar data, through the keywords “Sífilis”, “Syphilis”, “Sífilis congênita”, “Congenital Syphilis” “Atenção primária em saúde”, “Sistema Único de Saúde”.

Synthesis of data:

41 articles in English or Portuguese, complete and free, published since 2006 were selected. It has been seen that the increase in the number of cases is related to the lack of self-care, along with failures in the process of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the disease.

Conclusion:

It was concluded that dentists have an important role in early diagnosis and treatment of the disease, and must have the knowledge of its most common clinical manifestations, being able to work in an interdisciplinary fashion.