Inflammatory Papillary Hyperplasia: A Diagnostic Challenge to Oral Physicians

Inflammatory papillary hyperplasia is a benign, non-neoplastic proliferation of epithelial lining the oral cavity that affects the palatal mucosa with one or more granular, pebbly, nodular, grape, or leaf-like growths. It usually occurs as a soft tissue overgrowth on the hard palate mucosa. It commonly occurs among prolonged or ill-fitting denture wearers, occlusal disharmony resulting from defective occlusal contacts or imbalance between centric relation and occlusion, chronic use of steroid inhalers among asthmatics, immunosuppression like uncontrolled diabetes and AIDS in HIV, poor oral and denture hygiene promote the colonization of candida species and cause underlying mucositis. Rarely, this clinical entity also occurs along the labial aspect of the edentulous mandibular anterior alveolar ridge. Our case discusses a rare clinical presentation of inflammatory papillary hyperplasia in a 49-year-old male who has been a chronic denture wearer for 10 years.