[Occurrence of the protozoa, Entamoeba gingivalis and Trichomonas tenax in the mouths of children and adolescents with hyperplastic gingivitis caused by phenytoin].
The oral protozoa Entamoeba gingivalis and Trichomonas tenax do not occur in small children and are rarely found in older ones. In adolescents their occurrence rate keeps increasing with age. They parasitize in an oral cavity changed by inflammation, yet also in a healthy mouth. Their highest occurrence rate has been recorded in adults with periodontosis and atrophy of the periodontium, a somewhat lower one in adults with gingivitis. The authors addressed the question whether the presumed low occurrence rate of oral protozoa in children becomes increased in drug-induced gingivitis after treatment with the antiepileptic 5,5-diphenylhydantoin. Cultivation for oral protozoa was performed in 231 children and adolescents. Of these 59 were epileptics. Drug-induced gingivitis was present in 66% of the epileptics. Drug-induced gingivitis did not increase the occurrence rate of oral protozoa as compared to the findings in the rest of the series studied. (Tab. 9, Ref. 7.).