Alveolar ridge overgrowth
Page most recently updated 7 September 2026
This page focuses on alveolar ridge overgrowth as a morphologic feature of conditions that may also be associated with psychiatric manifestations, such as psychosis, mania, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, OCD, and self-injurious behaviours. The page begins with a clinical definition of alveolar ridge overgrowth based on the standardized Elements of Morphology terminology, together with visual examples from the same source. This is followed by a list of conditions in which alveolar ridge overgrowth has been described in association with psychiatric manifestations.
Of note, to optimize clinical utility, the list does not include conditions associated with intellectual disability in the absence of other psychiatric features.
Each condition listed below is linked to a dedicated page within this resource. These pages describe the psychiatric manifestations associated with each condition, as well as other morphologic and broader clinical features, allowing the differential diagnosis to be considered from multiple perspectives.
Alveolar ridge overgrowth
Image credit: National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), Elements of Morphology.
Definition
Subjective: Increased width of the alveolar ridges.
Note: This finding may or may not be accompanied by increased height of the alveolar ridge. This is not to be confused with prominent palatal ridges or gingival overgrowth. This distinction of gingival from alveolar ridge overgrowth may be difficult, especially in milder degrees of the finding.
Replaces: Alveolar ridge hypertrophy.
Conditions with potential psychiatric associations
Selected references and further reading — Morphologic lens
Allanson JE, Biesecker LG, Carey JC, Hennekam RCM. Elements of morphology: introduction. Am J Med Genet A. 2009;149A(1):2-5.
Hennekam RCM, Biesecker LG, Allanson JE, Hall JG, Opitz JM, Temple IK, Carey JC; Elements of Morphology Consortium. Elements of morphology: general terms for congenital anomalies. Am J Med Genet A. 2013;161A(11):2726-2733.
Jones KL, Jones MC, del Campo M. Smith's recognizable patterns of human malformation. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2021.
Reardon W. The bedside dysmorphologist: a guide to identifying and assessing congenital malformations. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2016.