Oral squamous cell carcinoma in children.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity occurs very rarely in children and is particularly rare during the first decade of life. This article describes a case of squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary alveolar ridge in a 7-year-old child. Subtotal maxillectomy was carried out with an apparent cure (33-month follow-up). A brief review of this disease as it occurs in children is included. Although this is an aggressive neoplasm, early and adequate surgical intervention may be curative.