The retrocuspid papillae: a clinical evaluation of 51 cases.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to increase the knowledge of dental hygienists and dentists of a normal anatomic gingival structure, the retrocuspid papillae (RCP), so that patients can avoid clinical misinterpretation and unnecessary biopsies.

Methods: In a three-part study, dental hygienists were surveyed on their knowledge of the RCP via questionnaire. Oral examinations of adult patients in a dental hygiene clinic were performed to obtain data on the RCP, and detailed clinical information from the pathology reports of surgically removed RCPs were tabulated. These findings were compared with findings from previously reported cases.

Results: Part one: of the dental hygienists surveyed, 2.8% knew about the RCP. Part two: of 232 adults examined, 9.1% had RCP. The age range was 20 to 63 years; 57% of the RCPs were unilateral, and 43% were bilateral. Part three: the RCP represented 16.2% of the biopsied fibrous lesions of the mandible over a 12-year period. Their histologic features contributed to their clinical morphology of a mound or sessile nodule with or without a papillary surface.

Conclusions: The RCP is more prevalent in children and females and in a bilateral gingival distribution. It is a normal anatomic structure that regresses with age and requires no treatment.