Epidermoid cysts: an exclusive palatal presentation and a case series.

BACKGROUND: Epidermoid cysts (EC) can occur anywhere in the body. In the head and neck region, they more often present in the midline between the submental region and the supra sternal notch. EC in the oral cavity are extremely rare and present as benign, slow growing lesions. METHODS: Records from College of Dental Surgery, Saveetha University, from 2002 to 2006 were searched for cases coded as EC. The study included 13 cases within the oral and maxillofacial region. RESULTS: Of the 13 cases, 11 occurred in male patients and 2 in female patients. Specific anatomic locations included posterior auricular region (n = 2), forehead region (n = 2), lateral side of the face (n = 3), chin (n = 1), gingiva (n = 3), intraosseous within the anterior maxilla (n = 1), and hard palate (n = 1). CONCLUSION: Besides the previously reported locations, we present the first case occurring in the hard palate, measuring 5 x 3 cm in size along with melanin pigmentation.