Spontaneous gingival haemorrhage: case report.

Clinical observation of our patients forms the basis of the dental examination, along with other more complex diagnostic tests. In this case, the gingival bleeding episode of one patient was initially diagnosed and treated as an acute periodontal episode. When simple therapy failed to resolve the bleeding, a full haematological investigation was ordered. This revealed the presence of a life-threatening disease. The patient was immediately referred for medical management of acute myeloblastic leukaemia, but died some months later. Dentists should always be on guard to observe any unusual clinical signs that may lead to the early diagnosis of systemic disease processes.