Atypical gingivitis: A rare case report of recurrent and familial history, and its surgical management

Plasma cell gingivitis, an infrequent benign entity, is an inflammatory or reactive condition of the gingiva to certain allergens or to an unknown factor. It is clinically characterized by erythematous, edematous, granular/cobblestone appearance of gingival surfaces with clear demarcation from the mucogingival junction. It easily bleeds on manipulation and may be associated with a burning sensation to spicy food consumption. As the name suggests it is diffuse and massive infiltration of plasma cells into the sub-epithelial gingival tissue. It is a hypersensitivity reaction to some antigen, often flavouring agents or spices found in chewing gums, toothpastes and lorenzes. Plasma cell gingivitis is also known as atypical gingivostomatitis, allergic gingivostomatitis, unusual gingivostomatitis and idiopathic gingivostomatitis. Histologically, the lesion shows dense plasma cell infiltrate of the connective tissue. We report a case of a rarely seen mucosal pathology of a 51 yr old male patient with a chief complaint of bleeding swollen mass in the upper and lower front tooth region who presented with this rare condition and its histological diagnosis and its management.