Gingival overgrowth occurs as a side effect of some systemic medications. It is now well established that phenytoin is one such agent. It has multiple therapeutic indications ranging from convulsive disorders and neuralgias to cardiac arrhythmia. The incidence rate of phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth ranges from 3% to 93%, but 50% of patients on long-term therapy are prone to develop gingival overgrowth. This drug-induced overgrowth is noticed initially in the papillary region and during the course of the process involves the margins and the gingival attachment. As the tissue enlarges, it develops a characteristically lobulated and thickened appearance either partially or sometimes completely covering the tooth surfaces. The colour ranges from pink to a deep bluish red depending on the amount of inflammatory infiltrate present in the tissues and secondary inflammation may induce oedema, ulcerations and bleeding. The overgrowth takes 2–3 months to become noticeable and can take …