CONTENT Fusion of teeth: A presentation of four cases

Abstract

Objective: Congenital epulis of the newborn is a rare benign soft-tissue tumour of the gingival, which is also called gingival granular cell tumour of the newborn. This slow growing soft tissue tumour affect commonly the labial side of the gingivae of a new born child. It is essential to document the presentation and the management of this lesion because of its rare nature. The objective of this study was to highlight the clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of the lesion..

Methods: Three clinical cases of congenital epulis were used to illustrate the presentation and surgical management of the lesion..

Results: The first clinical case was a one month old female child with a protruding gum tumour on the anterior alveolar process of the maxillae. The second case was a one week old male child with a gingival growth on the anterior alveolar process of the maxillae. The third case was new born male child with the tumour at the anterior alveolar process of the maxillae. All the tumours were surgically excised under local anesthesia.

Conclusion: Congenital epulis of the newborn could interfere with the functions of the oral cavity. Therefore, it is imperative to surgically excise it when diagnosed. Sequel to the management of the three cases presented, it is necessary to always examine the oral cavity of the new born to rule out the presence of epulis and any other oral lesion.