Oral focal mucinosis: report of two cases

Abstract

Purpose: Oral focal mucinosis (OFM), an oral counterpart of cutaneous focal mucinosis, is a rare disease of unknown etiology. Its pathogenesis may be due to overproduction of hyaluronic acid by fibroblast at the expense of collagen production, resulting in focal myxoid degeneration of connective tissue primarily affecting the mucosa overlying bone. It has no distinctive clinical features, since the diagnosis is solely based on histopathological features. This paper reports two cases and discusses clinicopathological, immunohistochemical features and differential diagnosis of myxomatous lesions of the oral cavity. Case description: The two cases of OFM lesions were present in a 50 year-old patient on the hard palate and in a 26 year-old female patient in the mandible, which seem to be the first report in the Indian population. Conclusion: The histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of Vimentin and S-100 protein may play a vital role in the correct diagnosis of OFM.