RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CIRCULATING LEVELS OF SEX HORMONES AND PERIPHERAL GIANT CELL GRANULOMA

Abstract

Giant cell granuloma is a relatively common, benign, non odontogenic lesion of oral cavity. It is a reactive response to local irritations and trauma that may be of central or peripheral type. It predominantly affects women and occurs most frequently in first 4 decades of life when hormonal changes are prominent. Therefore, hormonal effects are considered as a main factor in the etiology of this lesion. Purpose of this descriptive study was evaluating the relationship between circulating levels of sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen and progesterone) and presence of giant cell granuloma. We measured circulating levels of these hormones in 20 patients with giant cell granuloma utilizing radio immunoassay (RIA). Our sample included 12 females and 8 males from 10 to 65 years of age. Results were compared with normal range by means of t test. There were no significant differences between testosterone, progesterone and estrogen levels in patients with normal ranges. Our findings suggest that giant cell granuloma does not depend on sex hormones directly and role of sex hormones in development of this lesion is secondary to local factors such as trauma and poor oral hygiene.