title: Focal fibrous hyperplasia: A review of 193 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Focal fibrous hyperplasia, also known as irritation or traumatic fibroma, is a reactive, inflammatory hyperplastic lesion of the connective tissue.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to perform a retrospective study of a focal fibrous hyperplasia of 18 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed 193 cases of focal fibrous hyperplasia of the oral cavity from the medical and histological reports of the Department of Oral Pathology, Pernambuco University, Brazil, during the period between January 1992 and December 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data with regard to age, gender, location, size of the lesion (equal to or less than 1 cm, between 1 and 2 cm and greater than 2 cm), pain, history of trauma, treatment, length of follow-up (from diagnosis to release or last review) and recurrence, were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most commonly affected site was the buccal mucosa (n = 119, 61.7%). Almost two-thirds of the cases were concentrated from the second to the fifth decade of life. Females were more affected than men and a history of trauma was related by 90.7% of the patients. Two recurrences were notified (1.0%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further studies are needed on the distribution of the lesion in different ethnic and geographical populations. The influence of sex hormones on the development of focal fibrous hyperplasia must be clarified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pernambuco University, Recife, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: de Santana Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Sergipe, Aracaju, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Ricardo Saquete
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Martins-Filho
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Sergipe, Aracaju, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marta Rabello
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Piva
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pernambuco University, Recife, Brazil.
authors.forename: Emanuel Sávio
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: de Souza Andrade
keywords: Reactive hyperplasia; traumatic fibroma; tumors