OBJECTIVE The association between gingival pigmentation and active smoking has been established. This investigation is the first to address the relationship between gingival pigmentation in children and passive smoking. METHODS A case-control study was performed involving 59 nonsmoking children who were selected from patient records of a dental clinic in a rural town in Japan. The number of s...

This is the second article in a 2-part series on the variations of oral mucosa. We describe the following 5 conditions that deviate from normalcy: lateral soft palate fistulas, double lip, fissured tongue, racial gingival pigmentation, and geographic tongue.

Gingival hyperpigmentation is seen as a genetic trait in some populations irrespective of age and gender, hence it is termed physiologic or racial gingival pigmentation. Melanin, a brown pigment, is the most common natural pigment contributing to endogenous pigmentation of gingiva and the gingiva is also the most predominant site of pigmentation on the mucosa. Melanin pigmentation is the result...

Laugier-Hunziker syndrome is characterized by idiopathic mucocutaneous pigmentation that may be associated with longitudinal melanonychia. The significance of this condition is due to its inclusion in differential diagnoses of pigmentary disorders of the oral mucosa, especially Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.

AIM Terms relating to pigmentation of the oral mucosa include physiologic (racial) pigmentation, oral pigmented nevi, oral melanotic maculae, melanoma, and smokers' melanosis. The literature is replete with studies about oral mucosal pigmentation which is thought to result from melanin incontinence. The documented etiological factors are both local and systemic and include hormones, drugs, smok...