A Conservative Approach for Localized Spongiotic Gingivitis Hyperplasia Using Photodynamic Therapy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Novel treatment approach of localized juvenile spongiotic gingival hyperplasia with use of Nd:YAG laser

INTRODUCTION

This article describes the management of two patients who presented with localized juvenile spongiotic gingival hyperplasia. This disease entity is poorly understood, and literature regarding successful treatment is scant. However, there are common themes to management including proper diagnosis and treatment via removal of the affected tissue. The biopsy demonstrates intercellular edema and neutrophil infiltrate with epithelial and connective tissue disease components, so surgical deepithelialization may not be adequate to definitively treat the disease.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This article presents two cases of the disease and suggests the use of the Nd:YAG laser as an alternative management modality.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, we present the first cases of localized juvenile spongiotic gingival hyperplasia treated with the Nd:YAG laser.

KEY POINTS

Why are these cases new information? To our knowledge, this case series illustrates the first use of an Nd:YAG laser to treat the rare pathology localized juvenile spongiotic gingival hyperplasia. What are the keys to successful management of these cases? To properly manage this rare presentation, proper diagnosis is paramount. Following diagnosis with microscopic evaluation, deepithelialization and treatment of underlying connective tissue infiltrate via the Nd:YAG laser offers an elegant option to treat the pathology and maintain esthetic outcomes. What are the primary limitations to success in these cases? The primary limitations of these cases include the small sample size, which is attributable to the rarity of the disease.

Optical spectral diagnostics of the oxygenation level in periodontal tissues and photodynamic therapy using methylene blue in children with cerebral palsy

Dental diseases occur in children with cerebral palsy three times higher than in healthy children. Low values of the unstimulated salivation rate (<0.3 ml per minute), pH and buffer capacity, changes in enzyme activity and sialic acid concentration, as well as increased saliva osmolarity and total protein concentration, which indicates impaired hydration, are the factors in the development of a gingiva disease in case of cerebral palsy. This leads to increased bacterial agglutination and the formation of acquired pellicle and biofilm, leading to the formation of dental plaque. There is a tendency toward an increase in the concentration of hemoglobin and a decrease in the degree of hemoglobin oxygenation, as well as an increase in the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with the use of photosensitizer methylene blue improves blood circulation and the degree of oxygenation in periodontal tissues, as well as eliminates a bacterial biofilm. Analysis of back diffuse reflection spectra makes it possible to conduct non-invasive monitoring determine tissue areas with a low level of hemoglobin oxygenation for precision photodynamic exposure.

Aim

To improve the effectiveness of phototheranostics methods using, namely PDT with simultaneous optical-spectral control, for the treatment of gingivitis in children with complex dental and somatic status (cerebral palsy).

Methods

The study involved 15 children (6-18 y.o.) with various forms of cerebral palsy, in particular, spastic diplegia and atonic-astatic form and with gingivitis. The degree of hemoglobin oxygenation was measured in tissues before PDT and on the 12th day. PDT was performed using laser radiation (λ = 660 nm) with a power density of 150 mW/cm² with a five-minute application of 0.01% MB. The total light dose was 45 ± 15 J/cm². For statistical evaluation of the results, a paired Student's t-test was used.

Results

The paper presents the results of phototheranostics using methylene blue in children with cerebral palsy. An increase in the level of hemoglobin oxygenation from 50 to 67% (p < 0.001) and a decrease in blood volume in the microcirculatory bed of periodontal tissues were shown.

Conclusion

Photodynamic therapy methods with application of methylene blue make it possible to assess the state of the gingival mucosa tissue diseases objectively in real time, and to provide effective targeted therapy for gingivitis in children with cerebral palsy. There is a prospect that they can become widely used clinical methods.

Case report of spongiotic gingivitis in an adult male treated with novel 9,300-nanometer carbon dioxide laser low-energy ablation

BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW

To date, only about 125 cases of juvenile or adult spongiotic gingivitis have been described in the literature, primarily from retrospective biopsy searches. Spongiotic gingivitis is a relatively new, often misdiagnosed, periodontal pathology that was originally attributed only to juveniles. This is the first case report to our knowledge on spongiotic gingivitis diagnosed in a middle-aged adult man and treated with a novel carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser low-energy ablation therapy.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 56-year-old man sought treatment for a localized erythematous lesion on the facial gingiva of the maxillary left central incisor (tooth no. 9). Initial treatment was conventional excisional surgery and biopsy. Diagnosed as spongiotic gingivitis, it reoccurred in the same location within 4 months. It was then treated in 3 sessions using a novel 9,300-nm CO₂ laser low-energy ablation set at 0.4 W and 1.25-mm cut width for an irradiance of 33.3 W/cm² and energy density of 0.21 J/cm². The lesion was significantly reduced and has shown no hyperplastic reoccurrence to date.

CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

This case report brings to dental professionals' attention that acute spongiotic gingivitis may occur in older adults, not just juveniles. As such, spongiotic gingivitis may be underreported in adults with localized gingivitis, possibly attributed to toothpastes containing sodium laurel sulfate. 9,300-nm CO₂ laser therapy may successfully treat lesions such as acute spongiotic gingivitis without the need for anesthesia or additional medications. This report may also encourage further research on treatment modalities, biopsy of lesions resembling this entity, and improved reporting of adult spongiotic gingivitis to better understand this unique gingival pathology.

Localized juvenile spongiotic gingival hyperplasia: Microscopic variations and proposed change to nomenclature

OBJECTIVES

Localized juvenile spongiotic gingival hyperplasia (LJSGH) is a recently described entity with distinct manifestations. Herein we report a comprehensive histopathologic study of 21 lesions and a literature review. Additionally, we propose a new term that we consider more appropriate.

STUDY DESIGN

LJSGH cases were retrieved and their clinicopathologic characteristics were assessed. A review of all pertinent literature was also conducted.

RESULTS

Eighteen patients with LJSGH (21 biopsied lesions) were identified. Microscopically, surface morphology was classified into exophytic/papillary, flat, and micropapillary (8, 7, and 6 lesions, respectively). Cases with parakeratinization (n = 9), no prominent spongiosis (n = 5), or epithelial atrophy (n = 4) were recorded. Increased vascularity, mixed inflammation with exocytosis, and cytokeratin-19 positivity were uniformly observed. Less frequent findings included pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (n = 8), bacterial colonies (n = 5), acantholysis (n = 3), and dystrophic calcifications (n = 2). The literature review disclosed 201 patients with a mean age of 14.8 years (range, 3-72; 13.6% affecting adults), similar sex distribution (103:98, female:male), and predominance of the anterior maxilla (≈ 80%). Eighteen cases were multifocal (≈ 10%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that the terminology could be modified, because LJSGH may be multifocal, affect older individuals, or exhibit epithelial atrophy, and the entity's odontogenic origin (as highlighted by the histopathologic and immunohistochemical findings) needs to be emphasized.

Healing without Surgery: A Case of Supernumerary Tooth,

Background:

Supernumerary teeth are present in 0,2-3% of the population. Multiple supernumeraries are often associated with syndromes such as cleidocranial dysplasia and Gardner's syndrome. They often hinder the permanent eruption’s teeth, causing cavities, periodontal lesions, pulp necrosis, and in some cases follicular cysts. Reactive lesions such as fibroma, local fibrous hyperplasia, pyogenic granuloma, and peripheral ossifying fibroma are frequent gingival lesions.

Materials and Methods:

We reported a case of a 9 years old patient with the missed eruption of a permanent element caused by a supernumerary tooth, associated with an exophytic palatine lesion. The deciduous incisor was still present and the supernumerary included. It was decided to proceed with the extraction of the deciduous and to wait for scheduling checks every two months. After a few months, the conoid shape supernumerary tooth erupted in the maxillary arch, so a fixed orthodontic therapy was performed to create the space for the central incisor’s eruption.

Results:

After a few months, the tooth began to erupt in the arch thanks to orthodontic traction. The patient was instructed to correct and specific oral hygiene maneuvers to lower the plaque index and try to reduce gingival hypertrophy.

Conclusion:

Supernumerary teeth often hinder the eruption and development of the related permanent tooth causing localized periodontal problems. Corrective fixed orthodontics requires more strict oral hygiene to avoid periodontal complications.