Bilateral symmetrical lymphangiomas of the gingiva. A case report

This is a report of a patient with bilateral symmetrical lymphangiomas of the mandibular gingiva which presented clinically as chronic localized gingivitis. The lesions were removed by conventional gingivectomy and have not recurred after 2 years. Both lesions were of the cavernous type and apparently confined to the gingiva. Their distribution indicates them to be developmental anomalies rather than tumors. For this reason it is felt that local excision is adequate even if the mass is incompletely removed. Anomalies should not recur in the same fashion as a tumor.