Oral lipoma: report of three cases

Oral lipomas are benign lesions that are seen infrequently in the dental practice. This article details the clinical and histopathologic findings of three cases of intraoral lipomas. All of the lesions exhibited a yellow color. Two of the tumors were located on the buccal mucosa, while the other mass arose on the mandibular buccal/labial vestibule, was considerably larger in size, produced extraoral swelling, and necessitated a preoperative MRI due to close approximation to the mental nerve. None of the patients elicited any history of attendant symptomatology. Excisional biopsies in each case revealed well-circumscribed masses surrounded by a thin fibrous capsule and composed of sheets of mature adipocytes arranged in a "chicken wire" configuration. The tumor adipocytes were similar to normal adult fat cells and contained a small, uniformly eccentric nucleus with a single, clear cytoplasmic vacuole. Surgical excision is the modality of treatment and malignant transformation or recurrence is rare.