Micro-marsupialization as an alternative treatment for mucocele in pediatric dentistry.

BACKGROUND: Mucocele is a common oral lesion in children and adolescents. Different techniques have been described for the treatment; however, all of them are invasive.

AIM: This work studied the efficacy of micro-marsupialization for the treatment for mucoceles in paediatric patients.

DESIGN: A retrospective review was performed using the clinical records of patients aged between 0 and 18 years with a clinical diagnosis of mucocele. The following data were obtained: age, gender, location and size of the lesion, duration of mucocele development, and type of treatment and its results.

RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 11.1 ± 3.95 years. Mucoceles were found in the lower lip (83.7%), buccal mucosa (11.6%), and tongue (4.7%). From the overall cohort of 86 cases, 33 were treated by micro-marsupialization, of which five developed a recurrence that required surgical excision. The other 53 cases were treated by surgical excision, and three of these had recurrent disease. No statistically significant difference was found between the treatment methods.

CONCLUSIONS: Micro-marsupialization can be used to treat mucoceles in paediatric dentistry. It is simpler to perform, minimally invasive, requires no local infiltration of anaesthesia, has a lower postoperative complications rate, and is well-tolerated by patients.