Introduction: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that represents a severe public health problem worldwide and in Brazil it has not been different. The national compulsory notifications regarding syphilis cases are significantly increasing, and therefore, this fact alone justifies the study of such a relevant subject. Objective: This work presents a situational analysis of syphilis cases in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, between 2015 and 2021, aiming primarily at assisting public healthcare authorities in decision-making processes to cope with the disease. Concomitantly, this research aims to build knowledge as well as to provide awareness to the population. Methods: This study analyzed data from compulsory notifications reports from 2015 to 2021, available in the database of the Brazilian Unified Health System’s Informatics Department, in the Brazilian Information System of Notifiable Diseases and in the Brazilian Health Surveillance Secretariat. Results: In the state, 70% of patients with syphilis are aged 15 to 39 years. The rate of patients affected with acquired syphilis that have low education is 48%, and for pregnant women, this value rises to 77%. The declared mixed-race patients represent 48% of notifications for acquired syphilis, and for mixed-race pregnant women, this value increases to 60%. In congenital syphilis, 98% of compulsory notifications occurred for children aged up to 7 days of birth. Conclusion: Syphilis in Rio Grande do Norte is a public health problem that mainly affects the vulnerable population, predominantly the groups at risk with low education, mixed race, and young-adult people, being of paramount importance to combat the disease through population awareness, as well as through constant and adequate compulsory notification.

Introduction: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum bacterium, which impact on a significant increase in contagions reported worldwide, bringing up the need of urgent actions to ensure the control, treatment, and diagnosis of the disease. Objective: Given this context, this work presents a bibliographical review on syphilis, aiming to describe the most common oral manifestations that occur on the four stages of this infection. Methods: For the literature review, the searches were carried out in the PubMed, Science Direct, Scientific Electronic Library Online, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature and databases of Virtual Health Library. Results: Regarding the primary syphilis, the main clinical manifestations in the oral cavity include chancres in the palate, buccal mucosa, tongue, and lips. In the secondary stage, the presence of diffuse and nonspecific oral lesions was identified. In tertiary syphilis, stomatitis and glossitis are present, being the hard palate and the tongue the main affected regions. In congenital syphilis, the patients are affected with dental and jaw malformations. Conclusion: The clinical manifestations of syphilis in the oral cavity can appear at any stage of the infection, being the oral cavity the second most affected region by this sexually transmitted infection. Therefore, the knowledge regarding this subject is extremely important for health professionals, as well as for the population, being essential to carry out the correct diagnosis and adequate treatment for the rapid cure of this infection.