Self‐inflicted Gingival Injuries: Literature Review and Case Report

Abstract

A case of self-inflicted gingival injury in a 25-year-old male patient caused by compulsively overzealous oral hygiene practices is presented. Such injuries are rare among adults and, therefore, can be difficult to diagnose. Most reported cases have involved children who produced their injuries during periods of emotional turmoil. Evidence in this case indicates that this patient may have initiated the destructive process as a child. Guidelines which many help the clinician recognize self-inflicted gingival injuries are presented.

Exfoliating White Flakes from the Palate

“…Chronic mild burns usually produce keratotic white lesions whereas more severe burns coagulate the surface of the tissue and produce a diffuse white lesion. If the coagulation is severe, the tissue can be scrapped off, leaving a raw, bleeding, painful surface [3]. The important clinical features of the present case were the rate at which the white flakes were forming and exfoliating from the palatal mucosa, and the absence of any lesion either primary or secondary over the underlying mucosa.…”

Root coverage comparing acellular dermal matrix to connective tissue graft using the coronally positioned tunnel technique.

“…He named this condition gingivitis artefacta (minor and major). Pattison (1983) in a literature review on the same topic found that only 49 cases had been reported from 1949 to 1983. Most occur in children 12 years or younger (78%) and most often involve women.…”

Di̇şeti̇ Yaralanmasi İle Bi̇rli̇kte Görülen Dermati̇ti̇s Artefecta: Bi̇r Olgu Sunumu

“…This condition is generally confined to the areas of the body that patients can reach with their hands. 6,10,11,15 These lesions usually occur in adolescent or young adult females. 17 Several articles report the self-induced lesions of the oral tissues, especially on the gingiva.…”