A diagnostic survey of biopsied gingival lesions

The primary objective of this study was to determine the most commonly biopsied gingival lesions in a university-based school of dentistry biopsy service.

The biopsy service at the Louisiana State University Medical Center School of Dentistry accumulated 30,056 cases during a 24-year period (1969 to 1992). Microcomputer technology was used to sort these cases to study the gingival lesions including the incidence of neoplasm and epidemiologic factors of age, gender, and race.

Of the 30,056 biopsies submitted for diagnosis, 3,859 (12.8%) were taken from the gingiva. The most common diagnoses for gingival lesions were periodontal disease, fibrous hyperplasia, pyogenic granuloma, peripheral ossifying fibroma, and epithelial hyperplasias/hyperkeratoses. Benign and malignant neoplasms made up 15.5% of the cases. The largest number of cases was from individuals between the ages of 30 and 39 (18.2%). Of the biopsies submitted, 63.3% were from female patients, and 85.8% of the cases were from Caucasian patients.

Gingival lesions often are detected by dental hygiene and dental professionals. Knowledge of the frequency and presentation of the most common gingival lesions is beneficial in developing a clinical impression of such lesions encountered in practice.