Clinicopathological evaluation of focal reactive lesions of the gingiva

Abstract

Introduction: Focal reactive gingival lesions are elicited by chronic irritation primarily due to poor oral hygiene, including plaque accumulation, calculus, over-hanging dental restorations and ill-fitting dental prosthesis among others. Persistent irritation of the gingiva can lead to tissue injury and trigger inflammation leading to proliferation of endothelial cells, multi-nucleated giant cells, fibroblasts and tissue mineralisation. The aim of the study was to report the clinicopathological features of focal reactive gingival lesions. Methods: Utilising convenient sampling, records were retrieved from the Department of Oral Pathology and the Department of Oral Medicine and Periodontology at the Wits Oral Health Centre, to perform a retrospective cross-sectional study. Sociodemographic variables (age, sex and occurrence of lesion during pregnancy) and clinical features (pedunculated/sessile lesion, size of lesion, colour, region of jaw affected) were recorded. Results: Female patients accounted for 70.8% (n = 172) of all focal reactive gingival lesions, whereas the male patients accounted for 29.2% (n = 71). A total of 56.4% (n = 137) of the lesions occurred on the maxilla compared to 43.6% (n = 106) on the mandible. The age of patients (irrespective of diagnosis and sex) ranged from 3 months to 88 years. A total of 60.1% (n = 146) of all lesions were erythematous compared to 39.9% (n = 97) that were nonerythematous. Conclusion: After analysing 243 cases, contrary to findings in other studies, the peripheral ossifying fibroma was the most common focal reactive gingival lesion.