Mucocele--a study of 36 cases

Mucocele is one of the most common benign soft tissue tumor present in the oral cavity. They are of two types - one is extravasation and second one is retention type but the majority are extravasation type.

The objective is to determine various factors related to mucocele such as role of trauma due to nearby teeth, recurrence, duration, and to find out whether there is any role of psychological stress which initiates trauma like lip or cheek biting.

36 cases of mucocele diagnosed at the Department of the Oral Pathology, Govt. Dental College and Hospital, Ahmedabad, between 2004 and 2008 were reviewed. The clinical data were recorded and histopathologic diagnosis was made.

Data analysis tool, Microsoft Office Excel 2007.

A diagnosis of mucocele was established in 36 cases with male-to-female ratio of 1.77:1. Most common type was extravasation in 30 (83.33%) cases. The peak age of occurrence was between 1st and 3rd decade. Lateral side of the lower labial mucosa was the most affected site in 34 (94.44%) cases. The history of trauma appeared the major etiological factor seen in 28 (77.77%) cases.

We conclude that there was male predominance and they were more affected in 2nd and 3rd decade. The lateral side of lower labial mucosa was the commonest site and the trauma due to teeth or lip biting was the major etiological factor for the occurrence of the mucocele. The article highlights role of psychological stress in occurrence of mucocele. The reader should understand the importance of histopathology examination and should try to control the psychological stress in such mucocele patients.