Introduction. Reactive hyperplastic lesions of the oral cavity are non-neoplastic lesions that result from low-grade chronic irritation of the oral mucosa. Objectives. The aim of this study was to present the epidemiological characteristics of reactive lesions. Materials and methods. The study was a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 116 patients with reactive lesions. The tissue specimens were obtained by biopsy. 115 patients underwent an excisional biopsy, whereas in one case an incisional biopsy was performed. Results. The most frequently encountered lesion was inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (IFH) (n=37, 31.9%), followed by irritation fibroma (IF) (n=36, 31%), pyogenic granuloma (PG) (n=15, 12.9%), fissured granuloma (FG) (n= 14, 12.1%). The lesions were more commonly observed in females (n=70, 60.3%) than in males (n=46, 39.7%) with a ratio of 1.5:1, respectively. The buccal and labial mucosa were the most prevalent sites of reactive lesions. Most of the lesions were between >5 mm and ≤10 mm in diameter except for FGs, which were much bigger. Conclusions. Early detection and elimination of all potentially causative factors and irritants is a crucial matter, especially in the case of the vestibule of the oral cavity, which is the most susceptible area of the oral cavity.
