Etiology: benign solitary vascular growths; inflammatory lesions producing exuberant tissue responses to trauma or local irritation
Transmission: not contagious, nor infectious lesion; an irritant producing an inflammatory response
Epidemiology: Puberty and pregnancy make a person's tissue more susceptible to development of pyogenic granuloma; more often in females; hormonal factors and occurs in second decade of life
Pathogenesis: results from chronic trauma or irritation process
Characteristics: bright red, shades of pink; younger lesions appearing more red; ulcerated; brighter red; predunculated (stalk-like) occurring on gingiva; painless; without exudate; occur in soft tissue areas; slightly yellow hue
Dental: lesion should be monitored

Treatment and Prognosis: if growth does not subside, it is surgically removed; carbon dioxide laser; chlorhexidine gluconate mouth rinses; thorough scaling procedures; excellent home care instructions for plaque reduction; warm, saltwater rinses; lasers; cryotherapy; prognosis is excellent

Etiology: reactive hyperplastic responses to tissue injury, producing an exuberance of tissue
Transmission: localized and not contagious
Epidemiology: occur at any age; occur in fifth to sixth decades of life; less prominent in males
Pathogenesis: response to injury or trauma; result of chronic irritation or chronic trauma; tooth extraction, plaque, calculus, faulty dental restorations or dentures
Characteristics: found on oral tissue; protruding tissue becoming visible in anterior region; found on gingiva or edentulous ridge; range of 1 to 2 cm; deep red or bluish purple; can be soft to firm and smooth in texture; may bleed
Dental: bone resorption; may be observed radiographically when on edentulous ridge

Treatment and Prognosis: entire lesion to be completely removed; prognosis is excellent; periosteum and periodontal ligament must be removed with lesion to avoid recurrence; any local irrritant is to be identified and removed

Etiology: hemorrhages in soft tissue due to either trauma or blood dyscrasias; caused by blood dyscrasia, result from fewer than normal platelets in patient's blood and/or clotting factor problems
Transmission: none
Epidemiology: any age affected; equal predilection for males and females
Pathogenesis: traumatic injury; biting oral tissues, fellatio, factitial injuries; iatrogenic injury; dental procedures;
Characteristics: lesions do not blanch; tiny, perfectly round, purplish-red spots or submucosal hemorrhage; small, ranging from 1 to 2 mm; focal, circumscribed; hemorrhagic spots in skin or mucous membrane; larger than purpura and measure over 1 cm
Dental: identification of blood disease and dyscrasias is important to seek medical treatment; patients with blood diseases need special precautions when dental treatment is necessary

Treatment and Prognosis: treating underlying cause or sources of trauma; prognosis depends on cause of lesion, lesions associated with trauma subside within a week once offending source is removed

Etiology: anxiety and stress; autoimmune - related disease; malignancy potential of lichen planus
Transmission: none
Epidemiology: affects approximately 0.22 to 5% of world population; occurs in midlife; 30 to 80 years old; more often in females that are postmenopausal or posthysterectomy; systemic reactions to medications and allergy to various products
Pathogenesis: hepatitis C; environmental exposures both systemic and local that produce cell-mediated immune response, stress, exposure to antigens, microorganism
Characteristics: keratotic, violaceous (violet color); pruritic plaques on flexor surfaces; painful erosions; reticular form; papular form; plaque form; atrophic form bullous form, erosive forms; Wickham striae; polygonal papules
Dental: scaling and prophy are essential to limit lesions; low abrasion and flavored agents;

Treatment and Prognosis: fluocinonide, betamethasone (Diprolene) 0.05%; clobetasol propionate (Temovate) 0.05%; corticosteroid medications; intralesional corticosteroid injections;

Etiology: delayed cell-mediated immune responses; contact allergies; sensitivity to food products, flavoring agents, dental hygiene products; dental restorative products
Transmission: lesions are localized and not contagious
Epidemiology: any age and affects both sexes equally
Pathogenesis: type IV hypersensitivity reaction
Characteristics: oral contact hypersensitivity reactions are found on lips and inner wet tissues; gingiva appears fiery red and bulbous; velvety red appearance with distinctive clearing where products did not contact tissue;
Dental: determining the source and discontinuing contact with offending products

Treatment and Prognosis: offending source is found through trial and error; tissue is re-evaluated after time; Prognosis is excellent when hypersensitivity agent is discontinued

Etiology: red patch on oral mucous membranes; velvety red lesions; mixture of red and white lesions; speckled leukoplakia, erythroleukoplakia; associated with tobacco and alcohol; dietary deficiencies; lifestyle factors; chronic friction; exposure to irritants producing chronic inflammation
Transmission: none
Epidemiology: high rate of progressing to oral cancer; dysplastic changes in cells; cancer rate increases after 50 yr. old; male gender predilection; usually found floor of mouth, soft palate, buccal mucosa
Pathogenesis: premalignant; when epithelial cells stop producing keratin, they undergo cellular changes and more susceptible to malignancy; progressing to more erythroplakic form; white lesions may be malignant but red lesions have greater % of malignancy
Characteristics: velvety red color; dark pink; surface varied; corrugated/pebbly; very smooth; broad; coalescing; circumscribed; localized; lesions are interspersed with lighter areas; representing keratosis; lesions may be indurated (hardened) or soft when palpated

Characteristics: deep, velvety red tissue; premalignant; half of erythroplakias are cancerous; severe dysplastic ; increased vascularity
Dental: assessed for cancer cells via biopsy; guarded, watched carefully or biopsied; brush biopsy
Treatment and Prognosis: depends on histologic diagnosis; dysplastic areas are excised, depending upon site, type, and results; radiation and chemotherapy; follow-up performed at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month intervals