Growths and Tumors of the Mouth

A colleague in the practice of dental medicine referred to me a 40-year old female with a large pinkish, cauliflower-like mass on her lower right buccal gingival. It apparently started 2 months prior to the consult as a small pinkish pedunculated mass, nontender, that was often irritated during teeth brushing. She wanted it removed.

Without biopsy, the characteristic of the mass is more consistent with squamous papilloma. I scheduled her for excision biopsy under local anesthesia.

More and more people are experiencing some ‘growths’ in their oral cavity. I think this is mainly related to the lifestyle we have adapted these years. Smoking, eating food with irritants or preservatives etc. are the usual culprits.

For information, these are the more common growths and tumors that we usually see in the oral cavity. Please be guided and consult your dentists if you notice something similar in your mouth.

Abscess

• This is a soft, pus containing swelling. The causes can be:
• Infections in root canals, from the spread of tooth decay.
• Periodontal disease
• Food wedged between the teeth and impacted into the gum.
• The symptoms of an abscess are:
• It will be a red swollen area that is tender to touch.
• The tooth over or around it may be painful to chew or bite on.
• It can cause a severe throbbing pain

Cyst

• A cyst is a soft swelling that contains fluid.
• It occurs in the gums near or around the teeth.
• It is not tender or painful, unless it becomes infected.
• A radicular cyst forms around the apex of a root of a permanent tooth, in which the nerves and blood vessels have died.
• There are many types of cysts.
• They can be accurately diagnosed and treated by the dentist.

Epulis

• This is a growth consisting of irregular nodules that project out from the gum.
• It is connected to the gum by a narrower stem, near the tooth.
• It varies in color from pink to red, and is associated with chronic irritation.
• It may start during pregnancy, and may eventually disappear slowly.
• There are several different types of epulis.
• They are usually removed surgically.

Granuloma

• This is a nodular, fleshy swelling occurring in the gingiva (gums), close to the tooth.
• It can be tender to the touch, but is usually not very painful.
• It results from chronic irritation or injury, but may also appear during pregnancy.
• It can be treated by surgery.

Irritation Hyperplasia

• This is also called denture hyperplasia.
• It is an overgrowth of tissue caused by repeated, ongoing injury and ulceration.
• The problem is caused by an ill-fitting denture.
• It is treated by the removal of the growth, and adjustment or renewal of the denture.

Mucocoele

This is a small cyst commonly occurring in the lower lip. It is removed by surgery.

Papilloma

• It is also called a squamous cell papilloma.
• It is a small, firm, pink, wart-like, cauliflower-shaped swelling which occurs almost anywhere in the mouth.
• It does not usually become cancerous.
• Treatment is by surgical removal.

Fibroma

• This is a pink, firm tumor that may be connected to the gum by a narrow stem.
• It is also found in the palate and cheeks.
• The treatment is surgical removal.

Torus

• This is hard overgrowth of jawbone that takes place during the development of the jaws.
• It can occur in the midline of the palate (torus palatinus) or on the inside of the lower jaw next to the premolar teeth (torus mandibularis).
• It is usually harmless and rarely needs to be removed.

Cancer

• It looks like an ulcer, which is firm and raised.
• It may also look like a white patch of leukoplakia.
• It is painless.

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