Gingival Hyperplasia during Pregnancy: Frequency and Clinical Presentation in a Tertiary Level Hospital in Yaoundé-Cameroon

Gingival hyperplasia or gingival overgrowth, which is a common trait of gingival disease, is characterized by an increase in the size of the gingiva. Gingival hyperplasia according to past reports has numerous etiological factors one of which is pregnancy due to increased hormone levels. Although pregnancy does not directly cause gingival hyperplasia, it may catalyze local etiological factors. Objectives: To determine the frequency and clinical aspects of gingival hyperplasia during pregnancy. Methodology: We conducted a cross sectional descriptive study from November 2021 to June 2022 at the Yaoundé Gyneco-Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire and clinical assessments done using dental consultation kits. Data were analyzed with the International Business Machine Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) version 21.0 software. Results: We recruited 231 eligible participants for our study. Of 231, 101 (43.7%) had gingival hyperplasia. Most of our study population were between 20 - 40 years old and gingival hyperplasia was most commonly found in the 3rd trimester (60.7%). We reported that 31.3% of our population had a plaque score 2 and only 7.8% had consulted a dentist during pregnancy. We also observed that 93.3% of our population manifested a mild/moderate form of the disease while 6.9% had a severe form. Our study showed that 72.3% and 27.3% had a localized and generalized form of the disease, respectively. Conclusion: We concluded that gingival hyperplasia is a common pathology in pregnant women. It is most found in the third trimester. It presents more commonly as a localized form, and degree of severity is mostly moderate.

The effect of Nifedipine on the expression of type I collagen in gingival fibroblasts

Objective：To investigate the effect of nifedipine（calciumchannel blocker） on the expression of collagen in gingival fibroblasts invitro. Methods：Primarily gingival fibroblasts were cultured and incubated with various concentrations of nifedipine（108 μg/L, 360 μg/L and 1200 μg/L）for 5 days. Gingival fibroblasts were primarily cultured derived from nifedipine responders and nonresponders in the presence of 360 μg/L nifedipine. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to evaluate the amount of type I collagen. Cell proliferation was measured by cell counting with evaluating MTT value. Results：The expressions of collagen and cell proliferation were significantly different among the high concentration groups and the others on the fifth day, especially higher in 360 μg/L and 1200 μg/L groups and also different among nifedipine responders and non-responders. Conclusion：The expression of collagen and cell proliferation may be concerned with the biological mechanism for gingival overgrowth.

A Study on the Ultrastructure and Gene Location of Hereditary Gingival Fibromatosis

Objective\ To ascertain the histological characteristics of hereditary gingival fibromatosis and the location of HGF gene. Methods\ A pedigree analysis of HGF was made. The ultrastructure of gingival overgrown tissue was observed by electron microscopy (EMS) and the location of the HGF gene defined with microsatellite markers. Results\ The HGF consisted of coarse collagen bundles and fibrocytes, epithelial cells, smooth muscle cells, etc. were abnormally arranged; the HGF locus had been mapped to chromosome 5q13 q22. Conclusion\ The gingival pathological changes resemble 'hamartoma' and the findings have implications for identification of the underlying genetic basis of HGF.