Note: click on underlined words for more detail or photos.
Irritation fibroma, or traumatic fibroma, is a common submucosal response to trauma from teeth or dental prostheses and was first reported in 1846 as fibrous polyp and polypus. It is universally understood that the use of the term "fibroma" is not intended in this case to convey neoplastic origin, as is the usual intent of its use for fibrous tumors in other anatomic sites. Found in 1.2% of adults (Table 1), this inflammatory hyperplasia is the most common oral mucosal mass submitted for biopsy and is usually composed of Types I and III collagen. Gingival lesions are also common, although at that location they probably result from chronic infection rather than trauma. A number of variations on the theme of inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia are mentioned in the following discussion.