Surgery in the treatment of denture-related inflammatory papillary hyperplasia of the plate.

Twenty patients with denture-related papillary hyperplasia of the palate were surgically treated after careful instruction in oral and denture hygiene, insertion of new dentures and nutritional information. A tissue conditioner was used to cause detumescence of the palatal mucosa presurgically and to act as a wound dressing postsurgically. A knife with a semicircular blade made it possible to cut and plane off the papillary hyperplasia in all regions of the palate and accurately to control and vary the thickness of the extirpated tissue. The advantages of this gentle planning surgery were a short healing time (mean 12 days), no bleeding and no pain that necessitated the use of analgetics. After surgery a persistent erythema of the palatal mucosa appeared in five patients. Such a low rate of postsurgical erythema has not previously been reported. A microscopic examination of the extirpated tissue was performed and the findings are discussed.