A 28-year-old male presented for routine six-month hygiene recall. Initial information was as follows:
- Noncontributory medical history
- Patient denies tobacco use or alcohol abuse
- No prescription medications
During an oral cancer screening, a soft tissue lesion was noted on the floor of the mouth at the junction of the ventral surface of the tongue (figure 1).
Figure 1: Patient presentation
The lesion was offset to the left, but appeared to cross the midline based upon the position of the frenum. The lesion was about 1.5 cm x 1 cm. Upon palpation, the tissue was firm but not indurated and mobile as one mass. The patient reported no symptoms other than mild discomfort upon palpation. When asked about the duration of the lesion, the patient stated he had been aware of it for around two to three weeks, but it was not bothering him.
What would be the proposed course of action? What should be included in the list of differential diagnoses?
Editor's note
The diagnosis for this case will be presented in next month's issue of the Breakthrough Clinical e-newsletter. To subscribe, visit dentaleconomics.com/newsletter. For more oral pathology articles, visit DentistryIQ oral pathology blog.
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