The potential use of CO2-laser gingivectomy for phenytoin-induced gingival hyperplasia in mentally retarded patients.

Patients with hyperplastic states of the gingiva, i.e., phenytoin hyperplasia, nifedipine hyperplasia, cyclosporin hyperplasia, gingival fibromatosis and others may be treated by laser gingivectomy as no bone surgery is involved in these cases. Patients who are mentally retarded may represent special care problems postoperatively after conventional surgical gingivectomy i.e., unintentional removal of surgical dressing, postoperative bleeding etc. Therefore, the potential use of CO2-laser gingivectomy for mentally retarded persons was evaluated in a prospective study comprising 15 patients with fenytoin hyperplasia of the gingiva. No intra- or postoperative bleeding occurred and no surgical dressing was applied. The majority of the patients did not need any analgesics postoperatively. Healing was uncomplicated and the time needed for healing was of the same order of magnitude as after surgical gingivectomy.