Left atrial enlargement (LAE) or left atrial dilation refers to enlargement of the left atrium (LA) of the heart, and is a form of cardiomegaly. Signs and symptoms
Left atrial enlargement can be mild, moderate or severe depending on the extent of the underlying condition. Although other factors may contribute, left atrium size has been found to be a predictor of mortality due to both cardiovascular issues as well as all-cause mortality. Research suggests that left atrium size as measured by an echo-cardiograph may be linked to cardiovascular disease. However, studies that have found LAE to be a predictor for mortality recognize the need for more standardized left atrium measurements than those found in an echo-cardiogram. Causes
In the general population, obesity appears to be the most important risk factor for LAE. LAE has been found to be correlated to body size, independent of obesity, meaning that LAE is more common in people with a naturally large body size. Also, a study found that LAE can occur as a consequence of atrial fibrillation (AF),  although another study found that AF by itself does not cause LAE. The latter study also showed that the persistent type of AF was associated with LAE, but the number of years that a subject had AF was not.Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be a cause of LAE in some cases. When an OSA event occurs,  an attempt is made to breathe with an obstructed airway and the pressure inside the chest is suddenly lowered.
A peripheral ossifying fibroma, also known as ossifying fibrous epulis, is “a gingival nodule which is composed of a cellular fibroblastic connective tissue stroma which is associated with the formation of randomly dispersed foci of mineralised products, which consists of bone, cementum-like tissue, or a dystrophic calcification. The lesion is considered part of an ossifying fibroma, but that is usually considered to be a jaw tumor. Because of its overwhelming incidence on the gingiva, the condition is associated with two other diseases, though not because they occur together. Instead, the three are associated with each other because they appear frequently on gingiva: pyogenic granuloma and peripheral giant cell granuloma. Some researchers believe peripheral ossifying fibromas to be related to pyogenic fibromas and, in some instances, are the result of a pyogenic granuloma which has undergone fibrosis and calcification. The term peripheral ossifying fibroma has been criticized as this lesion is not related to the ossifying fibroma of bone and is not a fibroma. This term is used in America, however in Britain, this lesion would be termed a fibrous epulis containing bone. Signs and symptoms
The color of peripheral ossifying fibromas ranges from red to pink, and is frequently ulcerated. It can be sessile or pedunculated with the size usually being less than 2 cm. Weeks or months may pass by before it is seen and diagnosed.There is a gender difference with 66% of the disease occurring in females. The prevalence of peripheral ossifying fibromas is highest around 10 – 19 years of age.