Gingival enlargement in 10 years old: a case report

Abstract

Generalized gingival enlargement in children interferes with the eruption of teeth. It may lead to difficulty in mastication and phonetics. Very few cases of generalized gingival enlargement associated with eruption of teeth in as young as 10 year old child had been reported in literature. The pathphysiology for occurrence of gingival enlargement with eruption of teeth is not clearly established. Generalized gingival enlargement was present in a 10 year old girl since the eruption of permanent teeth. The gingival biopsy was done followed by full mouth gingivectomy of maxillary and mandibular arch. The histopathological picture showed hyperplastic tissue. The treatment of gingival enlargement at early stage leads to exposure of teeth. The treatment resulted in improvement in mastication and establishing the aesthetic smile of the 10 year old child. This case represents systematic evaluation of gingival enlargement followed by gingival biopsy and gingivectomy. The management of gingival enlargement in children is challenging and requires systematic follow-up.