Giant Cell Lesions

Multinucleated giant cells are morphologically characterized by the presence of multiple nuclei dispersed in cytoplasm. Multinucleated cells are commonly encountered in oral and maxillofacial lesions. An epidemiological study by Mohajerani et al. has reported that 6.36% of the oral biopsies received in their laboratory were lesions containing multinucleated giant cells. Classifying oral lesions with giant cells has always been problematic.Traditionally, giant cell lesions of oral cavity has been classified with little importance based on the type or histogenesis of multinucleated giant cells present in the lesions. Giant cells are of many different types and occur under different conditions and assume different configurations. They are formed by fusion of macrophages and are common in granulomatous inflammation, especially in infections such as tuberculosis, syphilis and those produced by fungi.