Lead poisoning with pigmentation of the oral mucosa. Review of the literature and report of a case.

Some general aspects of the pathogenesis and the clinical and oral symptoms of chronic lead intoxication are presented. Treatment procedures are briefly discussed. The case of a patient suffering from plumbism is described. A typical Burtonian line was present in the mouth. By electron microprobe analysis, it was shown that this line was mainly the result of lead and, to a minor extent, the result of mercury-, copper-, and iron-bearing pigment in the subepithelial tissue.