Thus, the oral diseases in IBD might be related to overexpressed proinflammatory cytokine levels in the oral cavity of IBD patients due to the altered systemic immune balance.[20] Specifically, bacteria involved in oral ulcers stimulate oral cells to produce various cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-α, which further exacerbate tissue damage in this disease. Here, TNF is linked to inflammatory bowel disease.