Review of Floor of Mouth Dysontogenic Cysts

Macneil, S. Danielle MD
Moxham, J. Paul MD, FRCSC

Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery, British Columbia Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Pediatric Otolaryngology Clinic, BC Children's Hospital, 4480 Oak St, Vancouver, Canada V6H 3V4

Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology 119(3):p 165-173, March 2010. | DOI: 10.1177/000348941011900304

Objectives

We report the common surgical approaches, incidence of sinus tracts, and recurrence rates of floor of mouth dysontogenic (epidermoid, dermoid, and teratoid) cysts in the pediatric population.

Methods

Data were derived from PubMed, Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, and manual searches. Three cases from the senior author's (J.P.M.) practice were included. All English-language studies consisting of floor of mouth dysontogenic cysts were included. Case reports of tongue dysontogenic cysts, mandibular dysontogenic cysts, maxillary dysontogenic cysts, and dysontogenic cysts in the neck below the hyoid bone were excluded.

Results

There are 198 case reports, including those presented here, of floor of mouth dysontogenic cysts. They are more common in male patients (55.1%), and the most common location is in the sublingual space (104 or 52.5%). Most floor of mouth dysontogenic cysts can be excised by an intraoral approach. There are 5 reported cases in the literature of recurrent dysontogenic cysts and 11 cases of multiple floor of mouth dysontogenic cysts.

Conclusions

Floor of mouth dysontogenic cysts most commonly present in the sublingual space, and most can be excised by an intraoral approach. Multiple dysontogenic cysts often require a combination of intraoral and extraoral approaches. Recurrence of a dysontogenic cyst may be secondary to a tract not identified at the time of surgery.