Pigmented intramucosal nevus of gingiva with a special insight on its pathophysiology: Report of a rare entity

Abstract

Oral melanotic nevi can be characterized as developmental malformations or melanocytic tumors. Nevi are benign in nature originating from proliferating malfunctioning melanoblasts of the neural crest cells either in the epithelium or in connective tissue. It is an infrequent oral lesion triggering focal pigmentation. Considerable debate exists in the literature with respect to their origin, development, maturation, and their association to oral melanocytes. Nevi present in the mucous membrane have been documented to ensure the risk of malignant transformation. Hence, it is appropriate to cautiously diagnose all pigmented lesions of the oral cavity. Here, we report a case of intramucosal nevus with unusually large size in maxillary anterior gingival mucosa.

Keywords

• Gingiva
• intramucosal nevus
• melanoblasts
• melanocyte