Hairy mouth.

Sir,

Ameloblastoma is a benign locally invasive odontogenic neoplasia usually affecting the bones of maxillary mandibular complex. We report a case of hair growth in the transferred pedicle post-grafting for ameloblastoma.

A 19-year-old male came with complaints of hair in the oral cavity since 2 months. Patient had a slow growing mass in the mandible for past 7 years. Biopsy was performed and a diagnosis of ameloblastoma was made. Surgical resection of the tumor was carried out and the defect was covered with an ossocutaneous flap from the fibula. After 2 months, the patient noticed hair growth in the grafted site. The hair was plucked with a forceps and the patient was asked to report if hair reappeared at the same site.

Ameloblastoma is one of the most common odontogenic tumors but it accounts for only 1% of all oral tumors. Radical surgical dissection with bone grafting is the treatment of choice. The patient presented with hair growth in the grafted site 15 days post-surgery [Figure 1]. We planned to use long pulsed Nd Yag laser for epilation but since the patient was unwilling we decided to pluck the hair from the grafted site and observe for regrowth [Figure 2]. Treatment with long pulsed Nd Yag laser was planned if patient presented with recurrence of hair growth.

Figure 1

Intra oral hair at the grafted site

Figure 2

Grafted site after plucking the hair

Hair growth in the grafted site may be due to the dominant nature of the underlying skin. Hair located on other body sites (e.g., eyebrows, trunk, extremities) are characterized by longer telogen phases (up to 9 months) and shorter anagen periods (4-7 months). The catagen phase remains constant at 3-4 weeks. According to Roersrma et al.[1] plucking of anagen hairs may result in either reset of the follicle to telogen and cause mild damage to the follicle, resulting in a temporary reduction of the mitotic activity. Sebastian et al.[2] reported a case of intra-oral hair growth in the transferred pedicle upto 3 months post-surgery. Shim et al.[3] reported the use of long pulsed alexandrite laser in fourcases of hairy intra-oral flaps.

We report this case because of its clinical rarity.