title: Graphite oral tattoo: case report.
abstract: Pigmented oral lesions compose a large number of pathological entities, including exogenous pigmentat oral tattoos, such as amalgam and graphite tattoos. We report a rare case of a graphite tattoo on the palate of a 62-year-old patient with a history of pencil injury, compare it with amalgam tattoos, and determine the prevalence of oral tattoos in our Oral Pathology Service. We also compare the clinical and histological findings of grafite and amalgam tattoos. Oral tattoos affect women more frequently in the region of the alveolar ridge. Graphite tattoos occur in younger patients when compared with the amalgam type. Histologically, amalgam lesions represent impregnation of the reticular fibers of vessels and nerves with silver, whereas in cases of graphite tattoos, this impregnation is not observed, but it is common to observe a granulomatous inflammatory response, less evident in cases of amalgam tattoos. Both types of lesions require no treatment, but in some cases a biopsy may be done to rule out melanocytic lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Oral Diagnosis, Institute of Science and Technology, Univ. Estadual Paulista-UNESP, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Mendonça
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Moraes
authors.forename: Gabriela de Morais
authors.initials: Gde M
authors.lastname: Gouvêa Lima
authors.forename: Marinaldo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guilhermino
authors.forename: Mayana Soares
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Yasmin Rodarte
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Ana Lia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Anbinder
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D005882:Gingival Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006108:Graphite; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010859:Pigmentation Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D006108:Graphite