A curious swelling of the lingual gingiva: case report

Abstract

Introduction: Melanocytic nevi are benign tumors composed of nevus cell, thought to be derived from the neural crest. While they are unusual in the oral mucosa, they contrastingly represent the most diagnosed pigmented lesion on the skin. Observations: A 68-year-old woman presented with an asymptomatic ”epulis-like”, pale pink swelling of the lingual gingiva and slowly growing in the last 6 months. Excisional biospy was performed with a hypothesis of fibroma but the histopathologic examination revealed surprisingly an achromic intramucosal nevus. Conclusion: The unusual appearance in these cases suggests that oral melanocytic nevi should be included as a rare possibility in the differential diagnosis of swellings in the gingiva, regardless of their clinical pigmentation.

Keywords

• unpigmented nevus
• melanocytic lesion
• gingival tumor
• oral cavity