Mucocele
DESCRIPTION: A mucocele is a collection of saliva in the oral mucosa. They are soft elevations whose color ranges from that of normal mucosa to light blue or even white. Patients with mucoceles regularly state that the lesion “gets larger, then smaller, then larger again.” This has become an important diagnostic sign. The mucosa of the lower lip and buccal mucosa are the most common sites, but any area that contains intraoral salivary glands is a potential site.
ETIOLOGY: Traumatic severance of salivary ducts permitting salivary escape into mucosa is the accepted etiology.
TREATMENT: Surgical excision deep enough to include the underlying gland that feeds it.
PROGNOSIS: Good
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS: Salivary gland neoplasms (especially mucoepidermoid carcinoma), varix, and hemangioma.
