Mucocele: A study of 76 cases

Background: Mucocele is one of the most common benign soft tissue tumor present in the oral cavity. Histologically, there are of two types – one is extravasation and second one is retention type but the majority are extravasation type. Aims: The objective is to determine various factors related to mucocele such as role of trauma due, recurrence, duration, and to find out whether there is any role of psychological stress which initiates trauma like lip or cheek biting. Materials and Methods: 76 cases of mucocele diagnosed at the Department of the Oral Pathology, 2008 and 2013 were reviewed. The clinical data were recorded and histopathologic diagnosis was made. Statistical Analysis Used: Data analysis tool, Microsoft Office Excel 2007. Results: A diagnosis of mucocele was established in 76 cases with male predominance. The peak age of occurrence was between 2nd and 3rd decade. The extravasation type (80.26%) was more common than the retention type (19.73%). The most common affected site was lower lip (36.84%). The maximum numbers of mucoceles were asymptomatic (61.84%), and with normal appearing oral mucosa color was seen in (61.84%) compared to bluish coloration. It was also observed that most of the Mucoceles had diameter ranging from 5 to 10 mm. The most common causative factor for the mucocele was trauma 31(40.79%) with (14.47%) recurrence cases. Conclusion: We conclude that there was male predominance and they were more affected in 2nd and 3rd decade. The lateral side of lower labial mucosa was the commonest site and the trauma due to teeth or lip biting was the major etiological factor for the occurrence of the mucocele.