Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2013 Sep;17(5):657-60.
doi: 10.4103/0972-124X.119288.

An unusual clinical presentation of gingival melanoacanthoma

S P K Kennedy Babu  1 , S Agila, P Sivaranjani, Vineet Kashyap
Affiliations
Case Reports

An unusual clinical presentation of gingival melanoacanthoma

S P K Kennedy Babu et al. J Indian Soc Periodontol. 2013 Sep.

Abstract

Gingival melanoacanthoma is a rare, benign pigmented lesion characterized clinically by sudden onset and rapid growth of a macular brown black lesion and histologically by acanthosis of superficial epithelium and proliferation of dendritic melanocytes. This article reports a previously undescribed case of pigmented unilateral diffuse gingival enlargement, which on histopathological examination proved to be melanoacanthoma. Intraoral examination revealed pigmented unilateral diffuse gingival enlargement in relation to second and third quadrants buccally, palatally/lingually. Based on these clinical findings, gingivectomy was performed and the excised tissue was sent for biopsy. Microscopic examination revealed acanthotic and parakeratotic surface epithelium with dendritic melanocytes distributed in basal and suprabasal layers of the epithelium. 1 year follow-up recall revealed no recurrence of lesion at the surgical sites. Our patient exhibits an unusual clinical presentation of melanoacanthoma of gingiva. Pigmented gingival overgrowth of recent origin and without any etiologic factors warrants histopathologic examination.

Keywords: Gingival enlargement; gingivectomy; melanoacanthoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Melanoacanthoma on the maxillary posterior gingiva
Figure 2
Figure 2
Melanoacanthoma on the occlusal surface of 26, 27
Figure 3
Figure 3
Gingivectomy carried out in II quadrant – Buccal aspect
Figure 4
Figure 4
Excised tissue after gingivectomy
Figure 5
Figure 5
Surgical area 2 weeks post-operatively
Figure 6
Figure 6
One year follow-up with no recurrence
Figure 7
Figure 7
Microscopical features of melanoacathoma showing dendritic melanocytes distributed throughout acanthotic epithelium (H and E; original magnification ×100)
Figure 8
Figure 8
Melanoacanthoma showing dendritic melanocytes distributed in basal and suprabasal layers of epithelium with normal connective tissue (original magnification ×45)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Neville BW, Damm DD, Allen CW, Bouquot JE. Epithelial pathology. In: Neville BW, Damm DD, Allen CW, Bouquot JE, editors. Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders; 2009. pp. 380–2.
    1. Goode RK, Crawford BE, Callihan MD, Neville BW. Oral melanoacanthoma: Review of the literature and report of ten cases. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1983;56:622–8. - PubMed
    1. Yarom N, Hirshberg A, Buchner A. Solitary and multifocal oral melanoacanthoma. Int J Dermatol. 2007;46:1232–6. - PubMed
    1. Brooks JK, Sindler AJ, Papadimitriou JC, Francis LA, Scheper MA. Multifocal melanoacanthoma of the gingiva and hard palate. J Periodontol. 2009;80:527–32. - PubMed
    1. Maize JC. Mucosal melanosis. Dermatol Clin. 1988;6:283–93. - PubMed

Publication types