Primary Gingival Tuberculosis Diagnosed Based on Genetic Identification

Abstract

A case of primary gingival tuberculosis in a 71-year-old Japanese woman is herein presented. A serous saliva culture was positive for tuberculosis, and we recognized that the origin of the tuberculosis infection was the gingiva based on the genetic identification in gingival biopsy tissue. The definitive diagnosis was facilitated by the genetic identification, a useful modern tool for diagnosing infectious diseases. The location and clinical presentation of this lesion were unusual, which underlines the importance of considering tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis of oral lesions that affect the gingiva.