ORAL TRAUMATIC GRANULOMA - CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CELLULAR INFILTRATE

Oral traumatic granulomas are reactive mucosal lesions that are charac terized by an intense mononuclear infiltrate (usually with eosinophils ) that may mimic neoplasia. These pseudoneoplastic infiltrates were ev aluated with the use of lineage-associated antibodies (CD3, OPD4, L26, KP1, XIIIa, S-100, HPCA-1, HHF-35). We determined that the large dist inguishing mononuclear cells were either CD68-positive macrophages or factor XIIIa-positive dendrocytes (the oral counterparts to dermal den drocytes). S-100-positive connective tissue cells occasionally contrib uted to this infiltrate. Also abundant in the infiltrate were smaller CD3-positive T-lymphocytes. Double-staining confirmed that there were separate populations of CD68-positive macrophages and XIIIa-positive d endrocytes. Because some XIIIa dendrocytes coexpressed CD68, phagocyto sis may be one of the functions of dendrocytes.