Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the palate in a child.

Salivary gland tumors are rare in children but when they involve the minor salivary glands, there is an increased risk that they will be malignant. The clinical and histopathologic features of a palatal mucoepidermoid carcinoma in an 8 year-old boy are presented. Differentiating this entity from common reactive and benign neoplastic lesions is discussed in order to prevent a delay in diagnosis and the potential for mismanagement.