Central Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma in the Mandible Mimicking Dentigerous Cyst: A Report of a Rare Case

Cureus. 2024 Jan 31;16(1):e53355. doi: 10.7759/cureus.53355. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Abstract

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is a rare neoplasm of the salivary gland of which the intraosseous variety is commonly observed with a female predilection and the affected side is more commonly in the mandible. It is usually perceived as an asymptomatic swelling that increases in volume over a few months to a year. They more frequently present as a cortical bulging and are mostly discovered as an accidental finding in a routine radiograph as a well-defined unilocular or multilocular radiolucency resembling an odontogenic cyst. The most widely accepted treatment is radical surgical resection due to its recurrence or metastatic nature. The current case is quite unusual developing in the posterior jaw as a result of an impacted third molar in a 22-year-old female patient.

Keywords: intraosseous; mandibular radiolucencies; mucoepidermoid carcinoma; odontogenic cysts; unilocular radiolucency.

Publication types

  • Case Reports