Clinical study of benign lesions in the oral cavity.

This retrospective study was designed to investigate the detailed clinical features of benign oral diseases. A total of 792 patients with benign oral lesions were treated at Kitasato University Hospital over a 27-year period. Benign oral lesions were classified into nine groups as follows: epithelial proliferating lesions (n = 234); fibroma-like lesions (n = 150); cysts and cyst-like lesions of the minor salivary glands (n = 140); ranulas (n = 64); angiomas (n = 62); inflammation/ulcer/granulation lesions (n = 56); pyogenic granulomas (n = 44); pleomorphic adenomas (n = 23); and others (n = 19). The characteristics of all these benign oral lesions are summarized. We believe that these characteristics will be helpful for physicians in their daily clinical examinations.