Hereditary gingival fibromatosis associated with growth hormone deficiency

A case report of gingival fibromatosis in association with growth hormone (GH) deficiency due to a lack of growth hormone releasing factor (GRF) is presented. The girl is the youngest member of a family of eight children, five of whom lack the same hormone and have or have had similar gingival enlargements. After the growth hormone deficiency had been diagnosed and hormone substitute administered the dental age of the girl presented came closer to that of her age and sex-matched controls but did not reach the corresponding values even though the teeth were exposed by excising the overgrown gingiva. Test fibroblasts cultured from the overgrown gingiva proliferated at a slower rate than those cultured from age-matched controls. Total RNA was extracted from the test and three control fibroblasts and examined by Northern hybridisation using cDNAs for pro alpha 1(I) and pro alpha 1(III) chains. The amount of type I and III procollagen mRNAs were lower in the test fibroblasts as compared to the controls.