Amlodipine-Induced Gingival Overgrowth in a Patient With Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus With...

Gingival overgrowth, with its potential cosmetic implications and for providing new niches for the growth of microorganisms, is a serious concern for both patients and clinicians. Amlodipine is a comparatively new calcium channel blocker and is being used with increasing frequency in the management of hypertension and angina. Although amlodipine is considered a safe drug, it may induce gingival overgrowth in some individuals.

A rare case of amlodipine-induced gingival overgrowth in a 60-year-old Indian woman who was on amlodipine for 3 years and subsequent periodontal management of the overgrowth is reported here. The patient did not have any gingival overgrowth for 2 years despite the fact that she was taking amlodipine, but she developed the gingival overgrowth 9 months before her initial visit, coincident with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and use of a cholesterol-lowering drug. She was treated with drug substitution for the systemic condition and surgical treatment for the overgrowth. She was followed up for 1 year, regularly.

We speculate that overgrowth could have been triggered by uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus and by altered pharmacokinetics of amlodipine resulting from the drug interaction of amlodipine with a cholesterol-lowering drug.