Oral diverticulum: a case report with histopathological findings

Abstract

Oral diverticulum is rarely encountered, and the histopathological findings are unclear. We herein report a case of an oral diverticulum and describe its histopathological findings. A buccal mucosal outpouching was observed in a 66-year-old man. Food debris was seen within the outpouching. Under the clinical diagnosis of a diverticulum-like lesion, excision of the outpouching was performed through an intraoral incision to stop food impaction. Histopathological examination revealed that the excised lesion was a true diverticular structure composed of a keratinising, squamous epithelial lining with a surrounding fibrous connective tissue wall, with inflammatory cell infiltration and haemorrhage. The histopathological diagnosis was a diverticular pouch of the buccal region. Clinicians should be aware of this lesion to ensure correct diagnosis and treatment.

Diverticulum in buccal mucosa: A rare sac‐like oral pouch

“…is just speculative, but the fact that reports of diverticula have been much more frequent among East-Asian populations may also have an context. 6,7,[10][11][12][13] In addition, the cheek felt thin in this case. However, as no detailed radiographic examinations were performed, the presence or absence of the buccinator muscle could not be clarified.…”

“…In terms of treatment, surgery has often been performed to address the food stagnation and related inflammation, and for differential diagnosis. [5][6][7]11,13 In cases where surgery was performed, no recurrence has been observed. However, if the diverticulum appears asymptomatic and the patient shows organic and functional disorders specific to the elder such as dementia, conservative follow-up may be more appropriate.…”

“…4 Some reports have described stagnation of food residue triggering identification of a diverticulum, as in this case. 6,7,11,13 In the future, the role of dental specialists (including oral hygienists)…”

“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] All those cases arose in the buccal mucosa, mainly in elder individuals (age range, 42-89 years). The characteristic oral finding was a bag-like depression in the mucous membrane, with some cases showing concomitant food impaction 6,7,11,13 and inflammatory changes such as redness and bleeding from the mucosa. 5 The diverticulum ranged from 3 mm to 70 mm in diameter, with a depth of 5-100 mm.…”

“…5 The diverticulum ranged from 3 mm to 70 mm in diameter, with a depth of 5-100 mm. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] We report herein an additional case of a buccal mucosal diverticulum.…”