Describing the gingival involvement in a sample of 182 Italian predominantly oral mucous membrane pemphigoid patients: A retrospective series.
BACKGROUND
The oral cavity has been frequently described as the only site of involvement or as the first manifestation of mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), being the gingival tissues often involved, but usually this has been effusively detailed in limited case series. This is a retrospective evaluation of the gingival involvement in 182 Italian patients with oral MMP.


METHODS
The diagnosis of MMP was established by both clinical morphology and direct immunofluorescence finding. Patient information (age, gender, risk factors and medical status) and parameters of manifestation (lesions' distribution, site and type) were detailed.


RESULTS
The mean age was 62 years for women (n=137) and 67 years for men (n=45). Patients had several sites of oral involvement; the gingiva was the most common one, affecting 151 patients (82.96%; 119 f - 32 m). Female subjects had more possibilities to develop gingival lesions than male patients (P = 0.005). Sixty-five patients (35.7%; 58 f - 7 m) had pure gingival involvement. Patients with lower gingival involvement statistically had more complaints (P = 0.006).


CONCLUSIONS
This report is one of the largest about predominantly oral MMP cases, detailing the very frequent gingival involvement; this could be crucial not only for oral medicine specialists but also for primary dental healthcare personnel and for periodontists.
Department of Surgical Sciences; CIR - Dental School, School of Medicine, University of Turin, Via Nizza 230, 10126 Turin, Italy, paologiacomo.arduino@unito.it.
P-G
PG
Arduino
R
R
Broccoletti
M
M
Carbone
D
D
Conrotto
E
E
Pettigiani
S
S
Giacometti
A
A
Gambino
A
A
Elia
M
M
Carrozzo
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005882:Gingival Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010390:Pemphigoid, Benign Mucous Membrane / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies