Epidemiological, Clinical and Therapeutic Issues of Epulis at Campus University Teaching Hospital of Lomé: About 33 Cases

Abstract

Introduction: The epulis is a hyperplastic tumor-like of the gingival or cheek mucosa that would be due to inflammatory reactions. Its pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. It appears to be common in Africa, but no study has been conducted in Togo. Our purpose was to describe epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of the epulis at the Campus University Teaching Hospital in Lome. Patients and methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study on 33 cases at the Odontostomatology Department, from January 1st, 2014 to December 31st, 2016. Results: The prevalence of epulis was 0.88%. The average age of the patients was 36.92 years old. The most affected age group was 20 - 29 years old (30.30%). The sex ratio was 0.57. Low education and poor socio-economic conditions were found to be predisposing factors. Mucous swelling was the main reason for consultation. A local irritative factor was found in more than half of the cases. The preferred seat was gum (63.63%). Inflammatory epulis was found in 36.36% of cases. Biopsy-excision was performed in 96.96% of patients, with a cure without sequelae in 100%. Conclusion: The epulis is a rare benign affection of the gum. Its favoring factors are mechanical or infectious local irritation, or hormonal factors. His diagnosis is essentially clinical, but requires histological confirmation to distinguish it from other serious tumors. Biopsy-excision is the main treatment. No sequelae are observed in all patients of our series.