Management of gingival vitiligo with the use of a tattoo technique

The purpose of this report is to describe the management of gingival vitiligo in a black female. This patient was referred by her psychiatrist to the Mount Sinai Hospital Dental Department (Toronto) for assessment of progressive loss in gingival pigmentation. According to her psychiatrist this loss of pigmentation, which the patient indicated may be considered in Africa as a hallmark of HIV infection, was a significant exogenous factor in relation to the patient's ongoing clinical depression. After obtaining informed consent, a modification of a tattooing method used for skin was applied to the patient's attached gingival tissues. Test sites were tattooed prior to performing full gingival tattooing under local anaesthesia. The results demonstrate that it was possible to restore this patient's gingival pigmentation in a highly esthetically acceptable manner. The resulting coloration was reminiscent of the patient's natural pigmentation that had been lost ostensibly because of her systemic disorder. Our findings also showed that the artificial pigmentation established via the tattoo method was stable 4 months postoperatively and continues to be stable, as expected. A profound improvement in the patient's mood was noted.