The oral tissues, for obvious anatomical reasons, are exposed to continuous
mechanical and inflammatory traumatic insults. Both reactive and pure traumatic
hyperplastic injuries have been dealt with in this chapter. Reactive hyperplastic lesions
are tumor-like hyperplasias caused by a tumor-like non-neoplastic proliferation due to
chronic irritative stimuli. The most common reactive lesions include morsicatio
labiorum, buccarum and traumatic fibroma. Among the purely traumatic ones,
hematoma, ecchymosis and mucocele (affecting the minor salivary glands) stand out.
These lesions can be generalized to large areas of the mucous membrane of the oral
cavity or localized as solitary neoformations. Furthermore, according to the clinical
aspect, they can be divided into plain (e.g., keratosis), exophytic (e.g., mucocele and
fibroma) and endophytic (e.g., traumatic ulcers). Reactive traumatic injuries often
present diagnostic challenges because they mimic other pathologies of a non-traumatic
nature.
Keywords: Ecchymosis, Fibroma, Hematoma, Morsicatio, Mucocele, Reactive hyperplasic lesions.
