[Gingival hyperplasia induced by nifedipine. Report of two cases]

Two cases of gingival hyperplasia associated with the administration of nifedipine are presented in this paper. Case 1, a 66 years old woman appeared with severe gingival enlargement, which was located at the right anterior and premolar region. Both attached gingivae and interdental papillae were hyperplastic, and the enlargement was more pronounced at the labial surfaces. The patient discontinued nifedipine, and after scaling and root planning, gingivectomy was performed. One month postoperatively the gingivae were in perfect health. Case 2, a 68 years old man presented with gingival enlargement mainly of the interdental papillae of the anterior and posterior region, which was more pronounced at the labial surfaces. Gingivectomy was performed at the upper anterior region after deep scaling, but the patient did not discontinue nifedipine. Three weeks postoperatively, recurrence of hyperplasia was noticed. In both cases histologically the gingival epithelium was parakeratininized and exhibited elongated rete pegs. The underlying connective tissue comprised of dense collagen fibres and the inflammatory cells which were present in the connective tissue, were mainly plasma cells and lymphocytes.