LUTZ, Miriã; SILVA, Deise de Avila    GOMES, Ana Paula Neutzling. Pigmented lesions of the oral mucosa - a retrospective study. RFO UPF []. 2012, 17, 2, pp. 145-149. ISSN 1413-4012.

Objective: the aim of the study was to conduct a retrospective review of the clinical features of pigmented lesions of the oral mucosa recorded in biopsy files of a reference service in oral pathology in Southern Brazil. Methods: from the records of the histopathological diagnoses, were selected cases of amalgam tattoo, melanotic macule, melanocytic nevus and oral melanoma. Information regarding sex, age and race of patients, as well as location, appearance, evolution time, symptomatology and clinical diagnosis of lesions were collected from the biopsy records. Results: the research in the biopsy files revealed 85 cases of pigmented lesions of a total of 19.126 records, among April 1959 and February 2011, representing less than 0.5% of all specimens analyzed. Of the 85 patients, 71.8% were female. The mean age of subjects was 45 years old and 83.5% were white. The area most affected was the gum/ alveolar ridge (51.8%) and in general the pigmented lesions were characterized as small dark macules, asymptomatic, with a long evolution time. The most frequent founded entity was the amalgam tattoo (42.4%), followed by melanotic macule (32.9%). In the group of melanocytic nevi (18 cases), intramucosal was the most frequent (9), followed by the blue one (5). All the melanomas (3 cases) developed in the region of gingiva/ alveolar ridge. Regarding the clinical diagnosis, there was conformity with the histopathology in 58.8% of cases. Conclusion: the oral pigmented lesions are uncommon pathologies and, in general, the characteristics found were consistent with literature findings.

: Epidemiology.; Melanocytic nevus.; Melanoma.; Nevo pigmented..