ORAL MUCOCELES: A MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL STUDY OF 1901 CASES FROM BRAZIL

Abstract

<h3>Objectives</h3> To report the clinicopathologic features of a large series of oral mucoceles from Brazil. <h3>Study Design</h3> A retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study was performed. A total of 43,754 biopsy records of oral and maxillofacial lesions from 4 pathology services in Brazil were analyzed. All cases of oral mucoceles were reviewed, and clinical and demographic data were collected. <h3>Results</h3> The study comprised 1002 females (56.2%) and 782 males (43.8%) with a mean age of 19.8 ± 16.4 years (range, 01-87 years). The lower lip (<i>n</i> = 1,160, 67.4%) and floor of mouth (<i>n</i> = 172, 10.0%) were the most common affected sites, presenting clinically as nodules (<i>n</i> = 978, 79.4%) with a smooth surface (<i>n</i> = 428, 77.5%) and normal color (<i>n</i> = 768, 46.7%). Excisional biopsy was the treatment in most cases (<i>n</i> = 1392, 78.0%). Recurrent oral mucoceles represented 6.2% of all diagnosed cases (<i>n</i> = 117). <h3>Conclusions</h3> Our results confirm the findings of previous studies regarding the major clinical features of oral mucoceles. Mucoceles are lesions commonly seen in oral pathology and oral medicine services, mainly affecting the lower lip of children and young adults.