Mucocele and fibroma: treatment and clinical features for differential diagnosis

Mucocele is a benign lesion occurring in the buccal mucosa as a result of the rupture of a salivary gland duct and consequent outpouring of mucin into soft tissue. It is usually caused by a local trauma, although in many cases the etiology is uncertain. Mucocele is more commonly found in children and young adults, and the most frequent site is the lower inner portion of the lips. Fibroma, on the other hand, is a benign tumor of fibrous connective tissue that can be considered a reactionary connective tissue hyperplasia in response to trauma and irritation. They usually present hard consistency, are nodular and asymptomatic, with a similar color to the mucosa, sessile base, smooth surface, located in the buccal mucosa along the line of occlusion, tongue and lip mucosa. Conventional treatment for both lesions is conservative surgical excision. Recurrence rate is low for fibroma and high for oral mucoceles. This report presents a series of cases of mucocele and fibroma treated by surgical excision or enucleation and the respective follow-up routine in the dental clinic and discusses the features to be considered in order to distinguish these lesions from each other.