Desquamative gingivitis: revisited.

Desquamative gingivitis is a clinical condition which can encompass a variety of histopathologies. It has not yet been established whether desquamative gingivitis is a distinct hormone-mediated disease entity or a variety of dermatologic diseases (i.e. pemphigus vulgaris, benign mucous membrane pemphigoid, etc.). In this manuscript the epidemiologic, clinical, histopathologic, immunologic and etiologic aspects as well as possible therapeutic modalities for the management of hormone-mediated desquamative gingivitis are examined.