[Oral lymphoepithelial cyst: report of 3 cases]

Three cases with oral lymphoepithelial cyst were reported in this paper. The most frequent site of the cyst was mouth floor, and the cyst was often misdiagnosed as mucous cyst and other diseases of cyst. Histopathologically, the central cystic lesion was lined with stratified squamous epithelium. Simultaneously, there were lymphoid cells located at the surrounding of the cystic fibrous connective tissue. Oral lymphoepithelial cyst was regarded to originate from secretory duct of the sublingual gland and the small salivary gland epithelium. With chronic stimuli, the epithelium of secretory duct was squamous metaplasia. The deciduous cells in the inner side of the duct induced the infiltration of the surrounding lymphocytes. The relevant literatures were reviewed regarding to the histological origin and the pathogenesis of the disease to provide some references for diagnosis and treatment of this disease.