Inflammatory and reactive lesions of the orofacial region in an African tertiary health setting

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Background: Chronic inflammatory and reactive lesions are tumor-like hyperplasia that are produced in association with chronic local irritation or trauma. These proliferations are painless pedunculated or sessile masses in different colors, from light pink to red. The surface appearance is variable from nonulcerated smooth to ulcerated growth, and they from a few millimeters to several centimeters in size. Common examples in the oral cavity include pyogenic granuloma (PG), epulis, traditional clinical name for gingival reactive proliferations, Irritation fibroma, epulis fissuratum, and giant cell granulomas which could either be of peripheral or central origin. Objective: To describe the pattern of inflammatory and reactive lesions of orofacial region. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of patients attending the oral and maxillofacial clinic between January 2006 and December 2014 was undertaken. Results: One hundred and twelve patients, comprising 61 (54.5%) males and 51 (45.5%) females were seen over the period of study. Their age ranged from 1 to 80 years with a median age of 26.5 years. PG was the most frequently reported lesion accounting for 32 (28.6%). This was followed by nonspecific chronic inflammation (n = 23; 20.5%), epulis/peripheral giant cell granuloma (n = 13; 11.6%), granulation tissue (n = 10; 8.9%), and central giant cell granuloma, (n = 8; 7.1%). Conclusion: The results of the study show that inflammatory and reactive lesions are common in the study population.