Abstract
Nifedipine, a calcium antagonist, is commonly prescribed medication for hypertension and angina pectoris. Many clinical cases of gingival hyperplasia associated with nifedipine therapy have been reported since 1984, when Ramon et al reported the first case. Child cases have however been rarely documented. We report a case of gingival hyperplasia induced by nifedipine administration in a 13year-old girl. Oral examination showed marked gingival hyperplasia around the interdental papillae of the upper and lower incisors. The affected gingiva were nodular and elastically hard. Since the patient had received nifedipine for 9 months for treatment of renal hypertension, we suspected side-effects caused by the nifedipine and consulted her pediatrician about a change in the patient's medication. Since the hyperplastic gingiva did not improve in spite of a gradual reduction of the dose of nifedipine, plaque control and scaling, we performed gingivectomy under local anesthesia. There have not been any signs of recurrence during the following 11 months of observation. Histopathologically, drug-induced gingival hyperplasia was confirmed. This is the first case report of Nifedipine-induced gingival hyperplasia in a child.
