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Case Reports
. 2025 Aug 23;17(8):e90791.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.90791. eCollection 2025 Aug.

Atypical Gingivitis: A Rare Entity

Ilakiya Mathi  1 , Satarupa Suklabaidya  1 , Kennedy Babu  1 , Soorya K V  1 , Lakshminarayanan S  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Atypical Gingivitis: A Rare Entity

Ilakiya Mathi et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

An inflammatory response of the gingiva to particular allergens or an enigmatic cause is known as plasma cell gingivitis (PCG). This atypical form of gingivitis, which involves enlargement of the gingiva in varied degrees, is a sporadic, benign phenomenon. A 29-year-old female patient presented with painful, bleeding, swollen gums in her upper and lower front teeth region for the past one and a half years. There was no history of parafunctional habits such as mouth breathing, and no history of changing dentifrice recently. Her personal, family, and medical histories did not play a role. On examination, there was enlarged and inflamed gingiva, and a normal complete blood count report. The case was diagnosed as allergic PCG after appropriate investigations and consideration of differential diagnosis. Histopathologic analysis supported the clinical diagnosis. Gingival recontouring was surgically done. To maintain dental hygiene and prevent recurrence, the patient was advised to avoid specific foods. Following a proper histological and clinical diagnosis, a comprehensive treatment plan should be developed.

Keywords: allergens; atypical gingivitis; enlargement; gingiva; gingivectomy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Informed consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Preoperative images.
(A) Swollen and dry lips. (B) Enlarged and erythematous gingiva. (C and D) Erythematous area involving the labial mucosa and vestibule.
Figure 2
Figure 2. One week after scaling.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Gingivectomy was done in the maxillary and mandibular anterior regions with a scalpel.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Excised tissue.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Magnification at 40x showed numerous plasma cells, which exhibited abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm with eccentrically placed nucleus stained using hematoxylin and eosin stain.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Magnification at 10x showed more of the inflammatory infiltrate, which was stained using hematoxylin and eosin stain.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Postoperative images.
(A and B) Healing after one month. (C and D) Healing after six months.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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