Even though the incidence of intraoral KS had fallen precipitously in developed countries after the mid-1990s, gingival KS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of every pigmented gingival lesion. Periodontists are in a unique position to identify gingival involvement of intraoral KS and facilitate early diagnosis.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown cause, which possesses the potential for malignant transformation. Cyclooxygenases (COX) 1 and 2 are two enzymes known to convert arachidonic acid into prostaglandins. Recent studies have shown an overexpression of COX-2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its precursor lesions. The present study investigated the expression of the COX-2 protein in OLP by Western blot analysis. Thirty patients with different degrees of histologically confirmed disease activity participated in the study: 9 patients had a recent onset of active OLP, 12 patients had atrophic OLP with moderate or low activity, and 9 patients presented with atrophic OLP with complete loss of activity. The results showed a high expression of COX-2 in all OLP patients in comparison with the control group. The differences in COX-2 expression in the various stages of OLP were not statistically significant. In conclusion, our results suggest that COX-2 is present during the various clinical forms of OLP. The resulting sustained overexpression of COX-2 in the late stage of the disease could play a role in the malignant transformation of some OLP.

RÉSUMÉLe lichen plan est une dermatose cutanéo-muqueuse inflammatoire chronique qui touche toutes les régions de la muqueuse buccale. Il y a quatre phases dans l'évolution du lichen plan buccal (LPB) : la phase initiale, la phase d'état, la phase tardive et l'état post-lichénien. SUMMARY Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory dermato-mucosal disease which gets all the regions of the buc

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Even though lymphatic malformations are encountered very infrequently on gingiva, they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of related conditions with a vesicular clinical appearance.

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Impetigo is the most common skin infection in children. The face, especially the perioral region, is one of the most frequently involved areas. Impetigo is a disease that interests the pediatric dentist, as it poses significant problems in its differential diagnosis from other conditions. Sixteen otherwise healthy children were examined suffering from facial and perioral impetigo. The typical clinical appearance was scattered, painless, slightly pruritic erosions covered by "honey-colored" crusts. In 4 children impetigo was localized in the facial and perioral area, whereas in all other cases lesions were diffused in perioral area and several regions throughout the body. Four children exhibited neck lymphadenopathy and one had mild fever. The treatment of impetigo included the application of topical measures with the systemic antibiotic chemotherapy.