What causes benign tumors in mouth?

Most oral growths are benign. Warts, candidal infections, and repeated trauma are common causes of benign growths. Use of alcohol and tobacco is a risk factor for cancer. Because cancer is difficult to diagnose by inspection, biopsy is often necessary.

What percentage of oral lesions are cancerous?

In the United States, cancers of the oral cavity and oropharynx represent approximately three percent of all malignancies in men and two percent of all malignancies in women.

How can you tell if a lesion is benign or malignant?

When the cells in the tumor are normal, it is benign. Something just went wrong, and they overgrew and produced a lump. When the cells are abnormal and can grow uncontrollably, they are cancerous cells, and the tumor is malignant.

What is the most common oral lesion?

Recurrent minor aphthous stomatitis, typically referred to as canker sores, is the most common recurrent lesion in the mouth, with a higher incidence in females.

Are all mouth lesions cancerous?

Most oral lesions are traumatic in nature and have no potential for cancer (Figure A). However, some oral lesions have an appearance which may raise suspicion by the dentist. Figure A: The whitish line is a common lesion that develops as a reaction to pressure of the soft tissue against the teeth.

What is a fibroma in the mouth?

Fibroma is a benign tumor of oral cavity, with usually the tongue, gingiva, and buccal mucosa being the most common sites. Females are twice more likely to develop fibroma than males. The intraoral fibroma typically is well demarcated; and its size can vary from millimeter to few centimeters.

What does a fibroma in the mouth look like?

An oral fibroma presents as a firm smooth papule in the mouth. It is usually the same colour as the rest of the mouth lining but is sometimes paler or, if it has bled, may look a dark colour. The surface may be ulcerated due to trauma, or become rough and scaly.

What is a polyp in the mouth?

A fibro-epithelial polyp is the most common epithelial benign tumor of the oral cavity. Such a polyp is of mesodermal origin and it is a pink, red, or white knob-like painless growth that is sessile or pedunculated. A fibro-epithelial polyp commonly occurs on buccal mucosa, the tongue, or the gingiva.

Are mouth tumors usually benign?

A non-cancerous (benign) tumour of the mouth is a growth that does not spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. A non-cancerous condition of the mouth is a change to mouth cells, but it is not cancer. Non-cancerous tumours and conditions are not usually life-threatening.