Congenital epidermoid cyst arising in soft palate near uvula: a case report

Aberrant ectodermal tissues during the fetal period or acquired aberrant epithelial tissue due to trauma or surgery are thought to cause dermoid and epidermoid cysts. Their incidence is 7.0% in the head and neck region and only 1.6% in the oral cavity, where they mostly present in the floor of the mouth. On the other hand, they are extremely rare in the soft palate and uvula, and only six cases have been reported. Epidermoid cysts grow slowly and asymptomatically, and thus rarely cause oral dysfunction. However, cysts arising in the floor of the mouth can lead to developmental disorders due to impaired suckling and swallowing. This report describes a 4-week-old boy in whom an epidermoid cyst developed in the midline region of the soft palate close to the uvula. Decreased suckling ability led to a poor in body weight, so resection was performed at an early age. The histopathological diagnosis was epidermoid cyst.