Congenital granular-cell tumor of alveolar ridge and tongue. Report of two cases.

Granular-cell tumors in the oral cavity occur primarily on the tongue (myoblastoma) in adults and on the gum pads (congenital epulis) in infants. Because of the usual location and age, these histologically and histochemically similar tumors have been separate clinical entities. These case reports, however, report the concurrence of both clinical entities in the same patient. A 7-day-old female infant had a 1 cm. epulis on the right anterior maxilla and two 1.5 mm. masses on the anterior ventrum of the tongue. A 12-day-old girl had a 1 cm. epulis on the anterior mandible and two 1.5 mm. masses on the anterior tongue near the tip. In both cases, all lesions were histologically and histochemically similar and were granular-cell tumors. This suggests a relationship in the origin of these entities and tends to rule out an odontogenic origin for the epulis.