African Journal of Dentistry

African Journal of Dentistry ISSN 3216-0216 Vol. 8 (3), pp. 001-007, March, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Case Report

A case of an unusually large Sublingual dermoid cyst of the maxillofacial region

Wg Cdr Priya Jeyaraj¹ and Brig NK Sahoo²

¹Classified Specialist (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery), Associate Professor, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune – 411040.

²Classified Specialist (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery), Professor and Head of Department, Dept. of Dental Surgery, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune – 411040.

Accepted 11 September, 2019

Abstract

Dermoid cysts are true developmental cysts, which arise from the entrapment of pluripotent ectodermal and mesodermal primordia in the embryonic lines of fusion, between the 3^rd and 5^th weeks of gestation. Hence, they are dysontogenic in origin, that is, they result from defective embryonic development. In the head and neck region, these ectodermal and mesodermal components get entrapped when the 1^st and 2^nd branchial arches of each side fuse in the midline. The entrapped tissues then undergo proliferation and cystic transformation. A case of a large sublingual dermoid cyst in a 37 year old male patient is presented which closely mimicked a plunging ranula and was successfully managed by surgical excision.