Mucosal calcified nodule: The oral counterpart of the subepidermal calcified nodule

Abstract

The subepidermal calcified nodule, also known as cutaneous calculi, is a form of idiopathic calcinosis that affects children and is occasionally present at birth. It occurs usually in the facial skin and has no relationship to connective tissue disease or to any abnormality in calcium or phosphorus metabolism. The oral cavity is very rarely affected by calcinosis cutis of any type, and idiopathic calcinosis has not been previously reported in the oral mucosa. This is a report of two cases of calcified nodules that occurred in the gingiva of a 1-year-old girl and the tongue of a 5-year-old boy. The lesions showed clinical, histologic, and histochemical similarities to the subepidermal calcified nodule. The name oral mucosal calcified nodule is proposed for this form of calcinosis.