An unusual clinical manifestation of oral melanocytic nevus

Melanocytic nevi are acquired or congenital benign neoplasms, often found in skin but rarely in the oral mucosa. This article reports an atypical case of oral hypopigmented melanocytic nevus in a 39-year-old woman referred for evaluation of a well-circumscribed papule with discrete brownish spots in the buccal mucosa. An excisional biopsy was performed, the results of which led to a clinical diagnosis of inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia. The histopathologic analysis resulted in a diagnosis of hypopigmented intramucosal melanocytic nevus. This unusual clinical manifestation of melanocytic nevus reinforces the importance of including nonpigmented or hypopigmented melanocytic nevi in the differential diagnosis of papules arising in the oral mucosa. A biopsy and subsequent histologic examination of the specimen are recommended to establish an accurate diagnosis.