Selection of mucocele management technique: considerations in pediatric patients

The objectives of this article are to describe the surgical excision of an oral mucocele in a 9-year-old boy and to examine the literature on mucocele management approaches, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages in terms of a patient's ability to cooperate in the dental chair. In the present case, a 9-year-old boy who was known to be a cooperative patient underwent conventional surgical excision and tolerated the procedure well. A review of the literature from 2010 to 2018 revealed 20 relevant studies outlining a variety of approaches to mucocele management, including surgical excision, intralesional corticosteroid injection, laser removal, micromarsupialization, cryosurgery, and withholding treatment for cases in which a lesion is small and allowed to spontaneously regress. While conventional surgical excision of mucoceles is suitable for cooperative patients, alternative approaches may offer reduced chair time, minimal intraoperative bleeding, and enhanced postoperative recovery. For pediatric patients who demonstrate maladaptive behavior, certain treatment modalities may prove superior to surgical excision for the management of mucoceles.