Case study of a gingival mucous cyst that developed during distraction of the mandible

Mucous cysts occur often and are often treated in a clinical setting. However, gingival mucous cysts are extremely rare. The case of a patient who developed a gingival mucous cyst in an edentulous mandible during distraction of the mandible is described here. The patient was a 78-year-old man with a history of squamous cell carcinoma of the left lower lip and the right mandibular gingiva. The patient had been fitted with a distraction device prior to undergoing dental implant therapy to replace missing teeth. During bone lengthening, a bean-size tumor was confirmed in the gingiva corresponding to the left mandibular premolar region. The tumor was clinically diagnosed as a benign mandibular gingival tumor and was excised surgically. It was then histopathologically diagnosed as an extravasated mucous cyst. The cyst had arisen in the gingiva that developed during distraction of the mandible. Distraction devices are used in patients with trauma-induced alveolar bone defects, among other problems, but caution must be exercised when using a distraction device in a large tissue defect without attached gingiva. (C) 2012 Asian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.