title: Destructive membranous periodontal disease (ligneous gingivitis): a literature review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Destructive membranous periodontal disease, or ligneous gingivitis, is a rare condition involving nodular gingival enlargement with ulceration and periodontal tissue destruction. This review gives a brief account of the cases reported in the literature. An effort is also made to define the periodontal disease caused by plasminogen deficiency with a view to its potential inclusion in the classification of periodontal diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A MEDLINE/PubMed and manual search was conducted to find papers describing ≥1 case of ligneous disease involving the oral mucosa.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 23 articles reporting 35 cases. For each patient, we analyzed various characteristics, including age, sex, age of onset, oral symptoms, histologic features, plasminogen levels (functional activity, plasma antigen), genetic features, treatment, and results of treatment during the reported follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ligneous gingivitis is a rare periodontal disorder closely associated with ligneous conjunctivitis and plasminogen deficiency. Its diagnosis may be supported by the finding of genetic mutations responsible for the condition. Research is focusing on the future development of an effective therapy capable of arresting the destructive evolution of the disease. Additional studies, investigating features such as probing depth and attachment loss, are needed for the appropriate classification of this periodontal disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Surgery, University of Padova, Institute of Clinical Dentistry, Padova, Italy. stefano.sivolella@libero.it
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sivolella
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Biagi
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Sartori
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berengo
authors.forename: Eriberto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bressan
mesh_terms: D005882:Gingival Diseases / Q000145:classification; D005885:Gingival Hyperplasia / Q000145:classification; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000145:classification*; D006801:Humans; D019226:Oral Ulcer / Q000145:classification; D010958:Plasminogen / Q000172:deficiency
chemical_list: D010958:Plasminogen