Effect of Vitamin C on Collagen Production in Comparison to Hereditary Gingival Fibromatosis: Histopathological Study

Diagnosis of the HGF and healthy tissues depends on pre-described criteria; gingival overgrowth covering one third of the crown length as a minimum, systemically free, no history of drug uptake causing gingival overgrowth (nifedipine, phenytoin, cyclosporine, oral contraceptive pills). Before sampling, written consents were obtained from all patients. Using light microscope, haematoxylin and eosin (H\&E) stained sections were precisely examined and histopathological features were reported. All specimens were assessed semi-quantitatively, on a graded scale, under ×100 magnification power and a fixed grid for the following parameters. Three to four fields of each gingival specimen were randomly selected. A blinded evaluation was done by two independent observers. If a debate was reported regarding a specimen, a consensus was reached following re-evaluation. The most representative areas were selected to be morphometrically analyzed using Leica QWin 500 analyzer computer system (Germany).