Mucosal Hyperpigmentation Caused by Dietary Beta Carotene

Chronic ingestion of foods containing elevated levels of beta carotene, a common dietary staple in some regions of the world, may promote the development of yellow-orange hyperpigmentation of the oral mucosa and skin. An article in the new issue of General Dentistry details the case of a patient presenting with this benign condition, known as carotenemia, due to a beta carotene–rich diet. As mucocutaneous yellow-orange hyperpigmentation may arise from pathologic disorders, most commonly liver disease and concomitant jaundice, dentists must seek pathophysiologic correlations with hepatic disease, medication intake (including vitamin A supplements), and the patient’s diet.

Learn more in the January/February issue.