Gingival enlargement is a common clinical feature of gingival and periodontal diseases. It is an unwanted side effect of certain systemic drugs given for nondental treatment. It is being reported with three main groups of drugs like calcium channel blockers (CCBs), immunosuppressants, and anticonvulsants. Among calcium channel blockers, nifedipine causes gingival hyperplasia in about 10% of pat...

Children and adolescents are subject to a wide variety of gingival infections. Epidemiological studies indicate that gingivitis of varying severity is nearly a universal finding in children and adolescents. The shorter life span of the primary dentition may be the reason why in general little attention is given to periodontitis in children. Since early diagnosis is important for successful trea...

Periodontal diseases are inflammatory diseases of the supporting structures of the teeth (Cochran, 2008; Kornman, 2008). They are initiated by periodontopathic bacteria and result in progressive destruction and loss of the periodontium (Cochran, 2008; Kornman, 2008). Progression of periodontal disease eventually leads to tooth loss (Chambrone, et al., 2010). Periodontal diseases are multifactor...

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are frequently used for the suppression of inflammation in chronic inflammatory diseases. Excessive GCs usage is greatly associated with several side effects, including gingival ulceration, the downward migration of the epithelium, attachment loss and disruption of transeptal fibers. The mechanisms underlying GCs-induced impairments in gingival tissue remains poorly unders...

Most pruritus occurs in association with skin diseases; but gingival pruritus seldom seen in associated with oral dysesthesia. Most clinicians, including dental practitioners, do not know about how to deal with gingival pruritus. Our patient was a 74-year-old Japanese female who attended the Department of Oral Medicine, Tokushima University Hospital, because of gingival pruritus. Pregabalin was...

PURPOSE Systemic disease can manifest oral signs at an early phase, which may be crucial for the diagnosis and timing of treatment. This report describes two patients who presented with gingival enlargement as an early sign of acute leukemia. METHODS Two patients presented with oral symptoms including severe gingival enlargement. The progress of their symptoms was associated with underlying s...

Periodontal diseases are inflammatory responses thought to be triggered by specific microorganisms colonizing in the gingival crevice. Theoretically, periodontal diseases could be prevented if the etiologic organisms were not allowed to colonize the subgingival area. The humoral immune response is one mechanism which may modulate bacterial colonization in the gingival crevice. To test the effec...