Mucous extravasation phenomenon: A clinicopathologic evaluation of 68 cases.

Background: A mucocele is a benign, mucus-containing cystic lesion of the minor salivary gland also called a sialocele and ptyalocele. Two types are recognized as mucus extravasation cyst and the other is retention type.

Objective: To evaluate the clinicopathologic features of oral mucocele cases.

Materials and methods: The archival blocks which were signed out as mucocele were taken for the study. The following parameters such as age, gender, history of trauma, site, histological features, and clinical presentations were taken into consideration.

Results: 68 cases of mucous extravasation cysts were analysed, among which 58% were males and 42% were females. Age of the patients ranged from 4 to 70 years with an average of 20 years. The most common locations were the lower lip (87%), tongue (5%) and buccal mucosa (8%). Almost 53% of cases are seen on the left side of the oral cavity. Most of the cases presented a history of trauma. Histopathologically 23% of cases presented with muciphages in the lumen and connective tissue.

Conclusion: The commonly encountered benign salivary lesion of the oral cavity is the mucus extravasation phenomenon of the mucocele. Various histopathological features were discussed in this study to avoid misdiagnosis of this common lesion in dental practice.