Pyogenic Granuloma in a Thalassemia Minor Patient: Consequence or Coincidence?

Thalassemia is a blood disorder inherited as an autosomal single gene characterized by a reduced or absent amount of hemoglobin chains. It is considered to be the most common genetic disorder with defect in either alpha or beta chains which produce abnormal blood cells. The present report describes an inflammatory enlargement over gingiva in the region of an erupting maxillary right premolar in a 10-year-old male who had minor thalassemia. The case was surgically handled using LASER, being a conservative management option, especially in such patients. The histopathological examination confirmed it to be a pyogenic granuloma. The paper describes the management of such lesions using LASERS as minimally invasive surgical techniques. It also tries to establish a hypothesis of a possible pathogenic association between intraoral pyogenic granuloma and thalassemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]