Primary malignant gingival melanoma : case report and educational reminder

Oral melanomas are extremely rare tumours accounting for approximately 1.6% of all head and neck malignancies. They usually have a silent clinical presentation but are distinctly more aggressive than all other types of melanoma. Poor patient awareness coupled with a lack of education amongst health care professionals in recognising premalignant pigmented lesions can result in delayed patient presentation and referral to specialist services for diagnosis and treatment. We present the case of a patient who was referred to the Oral Medicine Department at Leeds Dental Institute with a hyper‐pigmented lesion affecting the maxillary gingivae. Histopathology findings confirmed a diagnosis of primary malignant gingival melanoma (Breslow stage 1). The patient sadly died less than 6 months later. This case highlights the importance of early detection, timely referral and the need for greater public awareness in order to improve prognosis of such highly invasive lesions.