Oral sebaceous retention phenomenon
This article presents an unusual lesion associated with obstruction of ectopic sebaceous glands of the retromolar pad. This is a case of a 64-year-old black male who presented with a 0.7 x 0.5 cm painless, raised, sessile, and ovoid lesion on the retromolar pad. The lesion was yellow, soft, and fluctuant. Small vessels were visible beneath the surface. Microscopically, it was covered by normal stratified squamous epithelium. Centrally, a well-circumscribed but not encapsulated lesion was composed of mature sebaceous gland lobules that were associated with dilated ducts resembling microcysts. Distended ducts contained mucinarmine positive material, sebum, and keratin. Ductal cells exhibited mucus-producing and respiratory metaplasia with occasional ciliae. The interpretation was "sebaceous retention phenomenon arising in ectopic and hyperplastic sebaceous glands. " This lesion fulfilled the criteria proposed by Daley for intraoral sebaceous hyperplasia. It appeared as a clinically distinct lesion requiring biopsy for diagnosis, and histologically, more than 15 normally differentiating lobules were present. A review of literature did not reveal a similar published example. [M.C.R.]
Koutlas, I.G., and B.Yaholoitsky, J Periodont, 65:186, 1994