A Rare Case of Intraoral Palatal Lipoma

Abstract

Lipomas are the most common benign neoplasms that arise from adipose cells in the human body. Intraoral lipomas are uncommon, accounting for less than 5% of all head and neck cancers. Nonetheless, lipoma should be treated as a differential diagnosis of oral cavity swellings. In the case of intraoral lipoma, surgical excision is the mainstay of treatment. The commonest site of an intraoral lipoma is buccal mucosa due to the abundance of fat, followed by the tongue, lips, floor of the mouth and gingiva, making palate the rarest due to lack of adipose tissue.  The lipoma was shown to originate from the soft palate in this case study.It was surgically excised in toto and histopathological examinations were performed to determine a definitive diagnosis. This case is being documented because a lipoma with an intraoral origin is unusual, and even more so when it occurs in the palate.