Pathology · single question
Photo: a bluish discoloration of the gingiva near the third molar (extraction) area. Most likely?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Foreign body (amalgam tattoo)
- A. Correct. A bluish-gray mucosal patch near a prior extraction/restoration site is typically an amalgam tattoo — metallic foreign-body particles deposited in the tissue.
- B. Incorrect. A hemangioma blanches with pressure and is a vascular proliferation, not metallic pigment.
- C. Incorrect. Melanoma would be an irregular, growing, darkly pigmented lesion; the described post-extraction bluish patch fits foreign-body tattoo.