Primary gingival tuberculosis: A rare clinical entity

Tuberculosis is a specific granulomatous infectious disease and a major cause of death in developing countries. Primary gingival tuberculosis is extremely rare and forgotten entity. Oral lesions usually appear as secondary to primary tuberculosis infection elsewhere. The lesion may take the form of nodules, ulcers, or elevated fissures. We report a case of primary tuberculosis of gingiva, manifesting as gingival enlargement with ulceration and discharge. Diagnosis was based on histopathologic examination, complete blood count, chest X-ray, and immunologic investigations with detection of antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. With the recent increase in the incidence of tuberculosis, this case report also emphasizes the need for clinicians to be aware of this possibility, consider tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis of gingival enlargement, and thus, play a role in the early detection of this disease.