The peculiar palatal mass

Abstract

A 72-year-old man was referred by his general dentist to our oral medicine and dentistry clinic for evaluation of a swelling of the right hard and soft palatal mucosa. The patient denied any symptoms of pain or paresthesia in the area of concern (the hard palate). The extraoral examination revealed no facial swelling or asymmetry, or lymphadenopathy. Intraoral examination showed a 3 × 3 cm ulcerated sessile mass involving the posterior two-thirds of the right hard palatal mucosa and one-third of the anterior right soft palate (Figure 1).