Epidermoid cyst in tongue's ventral face.

Epidermoid cysts are benign development alterations without the presence of adjacent structures such as sebaceous glands, hair follicles or sweat glands. It may start at any part of the body and they are more commonly found in the testicles and ovaries. They are rare in the orofacial region, and only about 1% involves the oral cavity. Their etiology is uncertain; however, it is believed that they are associated with ectoderm remains trapped in the first and second branchial arches; even then, there are other theories in vogue such as accidental or surgical events, when epithelium is traumatically implanted within deeper structures. We hereby report a case of epidermoid cyst in the tongue belly, and we discuss the importance of knowledge and the clinical and histological differential diagnosis of this entity.