A rare case of epidermoid cyst of tongue

Abstract

Dermoid and epidermoid cysts occur in the head and neck region with an incidence of 6.9e7%. 2,3 About 11.5% of dermoid cysts of the head and neck appear in the floor of the mouth, the second most common location after the floor of the mouth being the cervical region and rarely in the tongue. They represent less than 0.01% of all oral cavity cysts. 4 Usually lingual dermoid cysts are discovered at birth or at the first year of life. However, when they are developed on the ventral surface of the tongue, their clinical appearance will be much later in childhood or at early adult life. Anatomic classification divides the epidermoid cysts of the floor of the mouth into three groups according to their relation to the muscles of the floor of the mouth: sublingual or median genioglossal cysts, located above the geniohyoid muscles; median geniohyoid cysts, located in the submental region between the geniohyoid and the mylohyoid muscles; and lateral cysts, located in the submaxillary region. 5 We present the clinical, histological findings and management of epidermoid cyst on ventral surface of the tongue in a 12-year-old boy.