CLINICAL AND RESEARCH 2012; 36(3): 54-58

HEREDITARY GINGIVAL FIBROMATOSIS: A CASE REPORT

Banu Özveri Koyuncu, DDS, PhD ABSTRACT Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hereditary gingival fibromatosis (HGF) is characterized by Faculty of Dentistry, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey the slowly progressive fibrous enlargement of gingival tissue that causes aesthetic and functional problems. It is usually Erdoğan Çetingül, DDS, PhD transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait and develops as an Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, isolated disorder but can also be one of the features of various Faculty of Dentistry, Ege University, syndromes. The present case report describes a Turkish family İzmir, Turkey. with individuals having HGF for the last three generations. Şükrü Kandemir, DDS, PhD Treatment consisted of surgical removal of the hyperplastic Professor, Department of , fibrous tissue in a series of for 54-year-old Faculty of Dentistry, Ege University, male patient who had generalized severe gingival overgrowth İzmir, Turkey covering almost all maxillary and mandibular teeth.

Taha Ünal, DDS, PhD Professor, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey

Correspondence Banu Özveri Koyuncu, DDS, PhD Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Ege University, Key words: , , Hereditary Bornova, 35100 İzmir, Turkey Gingival Fibromatosis Phone: +90 232 3881108 Fax: +90 232 3398289 Submitted for Publication: 09.21.2011 E-mail: [email protected] Accepted for Publication : 06.25.2012

54 Hereditary Gingival Fibromatosis

INTRODUCTION Hereditary gingival fibromatosis (HGF) is characterized by a slowly progressive, non-hemorrhagic, fibrous benign enlargement of maxillary and mandibular keratinized gingiva, the main feature is mature collagenous connective tissue growing. The hyperplastic gingiva may be localized or generalized, usually having normal color and firm consistency with abundant stippling, either unilateral or bilateral.1,2 Histologically, gingival tissue from HGF is characterized by a mucosa in which the epithelium shows rete ridges extending into the underlying connective tissue, which shows an increased density of collagen fibrils and a decrease in fibroblasts.3 HGF may occur as an isolated finding or in association with other systemic features as part of a syndrome such Figure 1. Patient with severe gingival hyperplasia in maxilla and 4 5 6 7 as Zimmerman-Laband, Jones, Ramon, and Rutherford mandible. syndromes, Juvenile hyaline fibromatosis,8 systemic infantile hyalinosis,9 and mannosidosis. 10 The condition is usually identified as an autosomal hygiene was observed in response to tissue overgnowth. dominant condition though recessive forms are also Radiographic evaluation demonstrated severe alveolar bone 11 described in the literature. Linkage studies have localized loss (Figure 2). The patient’s medical history has revealed no for isolated, nonsyndromic autosomal dominant forms of signs of hypertrichosis or mental retardation, and no history 12 gingival fibromatosis to chromosome 2p21-p22 and to of epilepsy or intake of medication known to cause gingival 13 chromosome 5q13-q22 . overgrowth. He referred to our clinic to have a better The enlargement usually begins at the time of the eruption esthetic appearance. The patient stated that he had such a of the permanent dentition, although it may also occur psychological and emotional stress until he reaches to this 12 during the eruption of deciduous teeth or even at birth. age with a fair of surgery. The enlarged gingivae may cover a portion or all the crowns There was a family history of hereditary gingival overgrowth of teeth, thus potentially interfering with speech, closure of as his mother and son had gingival enlargement, involving 14 the , and mastication. It may delay eruption of teeth the maxilla as well as the mandible. The patient revealed and make cleaning of the teeth virtually impossible. When that his mother and son had several gingival excisional the gingiva is the only tissue involved, gingival fibromatosis surgeries because of slowly progressing hyperplasia. None might be in association with hypertrichosis, and/or mental of the individuals in the family had epilepsy or any type 15 retardation, and/or epilepsy. of seizure disorder, and had not taken any medications This case report presents HGF in a Turkish family for three- associated with gingival hyperplasia. The mother’s age is 79 generation. and was operated three times about 40 years ago. The son CASE REPORT stated that he had several gingival excisional surgeries 12 years ago. The recurrence was seen after the surgeries in A 54-year-old male presented with a complaint of excessive both of them, the son and mother (Figures 3 and 4). gingival hyperplasia involving both the mandibular and After giving detailed information to the patient about maxillary arches. On examination, a severe and generalized the management and taking an informed consent, the diffuse gingival hyperplasia involving the marginal, patient decided to initiate the treatment. Multiple surgical interdental and attached gingiva was observed covering procedures including maxillary and mandibular vestibular almost all the surfaces of crowns causing severe eating, and palatal/lingual gingivectomies, with reverse bevel speaking and aesthetic problems (Figure 1). Gingiva incisions, were performed under local anesthesia, to obtain was pink with a firm and dense consistency. Poor Oral

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tissue showing bundles of collagen fibers. The patient was diagnosed with gingival fibromatosis based on the microscopic findings. A 0.12% gluconate rinse was prescribed for administration twice a day for 2 weeks. The patient was seen at 1, 3 and 4 weeks postoperatively. There were no postoperative complications. After 30 months of follow-up, poor was observed (Figure 6). To achieve optimal esthetic appearance, we recommended Figure 2. Orthopantomograph prior to operation. orthodontic and prosthetic treatment but the patient refused these treatments. Also patient’s son refused any treatment because of overgrowth of the gingival tissue following the operations.

DISCUSSION Hereditary gingival fibromatosis is rare, affecting only one in 750,000 people.16 It usually develops as an isolated disorder but can be one feature of a syndrome.17 In this case, the patient did not exhibit any signs or symptoms suggesting that the condition was syndromic. HGF can be inherited as an autosomal dominant though recessive forms are described in the literature.13 The mode Figure 3. Son’s intraoral photograph showing recurrence. of genetic transmission in our case, points to an autosomal dominant gene, because family members (the patient’s mother and son) of both sexes were affected. Reports of the histologic, morphologic, and cellular characteristics of gingival tissues from HGF patients compared with controls are not always consistent, although an increase in the amount of collagen is generally reported.18 In recent years, studies aimed to clarify the pathogenic mechanisms of collagen accumulation in HGF gingivae but there has been controversy about this mechanism: gingival fibrosis is a result of increased collagen synthesis and/or decreased degradation, or alteration in fibroblast proliferation.19-21 The proliferation and expression of growth factors of HGF keratinocytes are abnormal. However, the exact role Figure 4. Mother’s intraoral photograph showing recurrence in the mandibular cuspid-bicuspid area. of keratinocytes in HGF pathogenesis is still unknown. According to Meng et al.22 HGF keratinocytes have an important role in HGF pathogenesis by inducing extracellular a smoother gingival contour (Figure 5). A biopsy sample of matrix (ECM) accumulation by fibroblasts. These authors the gingival tissues was submitted for histologic evaluation. reported that results strongly suggest that keratinocyte– Microscopic examination of the specimens confirmed fibroblast interactions contribute to the pathogenesis of for hereditary gingival hyperplasia. Sections showed a HGF. hyperparakeratinized hyperplastic stratified squamous The hyperplastic gingiva has usually got a normal color 2 epithelium with the underlying fibrous connective and firm consistency. The clinical presentation of HGF is

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has been advocated, as some evidence24,25 suggests that the condition does not recur if the teeth have been extracted. It was stated that there is less chance of recurrence if the gingivectomy is delayed until the permanent dentition is in place.26 However, one report recorded that, deciduous teeth were retained and permanent teeth were entrapped in the overgrown gingival tissue. Thus, delaying the gingivectomy with the goal of avoiding recurrence was contraindicated. These authors have also stated that as long as patient is informed about the likelihood of recurrence, repeated Figure 5. Photograph following gingivectomy in the maxilla. gingivectomies is generally well accepted and well tolerated. On the other hand, Shekar27 reported that repeated gingivectomy procedures often causes further increase in the patients and parents’ psychological and emotional stress. Kelekis-Cholakis et al.28 stated that orthodontic treatment might stimulate recurrence in some patients, especially if periodontal hygiene is impeded by the orthodontic appliance but they did not observe significant recurrence during the first 3 years. Poor oral hygiene is one of the factors that may aggravate gingival enlargement as it is seen in the members of this Figure 6. Clinical view showing poor oral hygiene after 30 months. family. Therefore, the importance of postoperative follow- up and adequate hygiene should be emphasized to HGF patients.29,30 variable in both the distribution (number of teeth involved) CONCLUSION and in the degree (severity) of expression. Buccal and Hereditary gingival fibromatosis is a rare disease lingual tissue may be involved in both the mandible and characterized by the proliferative fibrous overgrowth of the maxilla, and the severity of hyperplasia may range from gingival tissue. Enlargements in the gingiva may cover the slight enlargement to total coverage of the dentition and dental crowns resulting in both aesthetic and functional may vary between individuals within the same family.11 In problems. Multiple surgical procedures, monthly periodontal our case, the hyperplastic gingiva was of normal color and examinations and prophylaxis are an essential part of the had a firm consistency. The patient was not able to chew treatment protocol. However, additional effort by the especially at the anterior region, as the gingiva was almost patient is needed to cope with HGF. covering the maxillary teeth. Gingival tissue enlargement usually begins with the REFERENCES eruption of the permanent dentition. There are also cases 1. Gorlin RJ, Cohen MM, Levi LS, editors. Syndromes of the head and which have been reported to occur during the eruption of neck. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford Press; 1990. the deciduous dentition; however it rarely appears at birth.16 Since recurrence could be expected within a few months 2. Rushton MA. Hereditary or idiopathic hyperplasia of the . Dent Pract Dent Rec 1957; 7: 136-146. after surgery and may return to the original condition within few years, the patient may undergo to repeated 3. Araújo CS, Graner E, Almeida OP, Sauk JJ, Coletta RD. gingivectomy procedures. Reports about recurrence rates Histomorphometric characteristics and expression of epidermal are conflicting,23-25 so the long-term benefit of periodontal growth factor and its receptor by epithelial cells of normal gingiva and hereditary gingival fibromatosis. J Periodontal Res 2003; 38: reduction surgery cannot be predicted. In severe cases of 237-241. hereditary gingival fibromatosis, full-mouth tooth clearance

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