Gingival overgrowth in a child with arthrogryposis treated with a Er,Cr:YSGG laser: a case report

The present manuscript reports a case of a 21/2 year old girl, diagnosed with arthrogryposis, presenting increasing gingival hyperplasia which was treated with Er,Cr:YSGG Laser. The patient was treated under general anesthesia by the Pediatric Dentistry and Periodontics departments. Er,Cr:YSGG laser G6 tip was used at 1.50 watts, 20 pps, 8% water and 11% air, which is recommended by the manufacturer. Scalpel and periodontal curettes were used to complement the laser. Tissue samples from the anterior maxilla, anterior mandible and palatal sites were formalin-fixed and submitted for evaluation. The samples biopsied revealed prominent hyperplasia of the fibrous connective tissue with areas of the epithelium exhibiting pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia. At 1 week and 3 months follow up, oral examination showed appropriate healing of gingival tissue. The use of Er,Cr:YSGG laser in the present case proved to be effective in the removal of large amounts of hyperplasic gingival tissue and resulted in fast heeling and mild discomfort.