[A rare congenital gingival tumor].

INTRODUCTION: Congenital epulis (CE) of the newborn also known as congenital granular cell tumor or Neumann tumor is an uncommun benign tumour occuring in the anterior alveolar ridge of the jaws. It may interfer with breathing and feeding. In our study, we discuss the clinicopathologic and evolutive caracteristics and the diagnosis problems of this entity. OBSERVATION: A newborn girl, two months old, presented at birth a nodular mass in the upper alveolar crete of the maxilla. The mass measured 1.5 cm and exhibited a smooth surface. Histologically, it was composed of diffuse sheets and clusters of granular cells with abundant coarsely granular cytoplasm. The evolution was good without recurrence after five months. DISCUSSION: CE is a rare tumor; its etiopathogenesis is still unclear. The diagnosis suspected clinically is confirmed by the histopathological study. The prognosis is exellent without recurrence.