Introduction
Mucocele is a common lesion of the oral mucosa that
results from an alteration of minor salivary glands due
to a mucous accumulation. Mucocele involves mucin
accumulation causing limited swelling (1). Two types
of mucocele can appear - extravasation and retention.
Extravasation mucocele results from a broken salivary
glands duct and the consequent spillage into the soft tissues
around this gland. Retention mucocele appears due
to a decrease or absence of glandular secretion produced
by blockage of the salivary gland ducts (2).
When located on the floor of the mouth these lesions are
called ranulas because the inflammation resembles the
cheeks of a frog (3).
Mucocele is a common lesion and affects the general
population. For this reason we felt it would be interesting
review the clinical characteristics of mucoceles, and
their treatment and evolution in order to aid decisionmaking
in daily clinical practice.