Oral melanoacanthoma: Case report with review of literature

Oral melanoacanthoma is a rare, benign pigmented lesion that presents most commonly on the buccal mucosa. It is characterized clinically by the sudden appearance and rapid growth of a macular brown-black lesion and histologically by hyperplasia of spinous keratinocytes and dendritic melanocytes. We report a case of oral melanoacanthoma in a 37-year-old Indian male, who presented with an intra-oral brown macular lesion on the right buccal mucosa with a duration of ten days. Microscopic examination revealed acanthosis of stratified squamous surface epithelium with dendritic melanocytes in the basal and suprabasal layers and presence of melanophages in the underlying connective tissue. Based on the history, clinical features and histological presentation, the lesion was diagnosed as oral melanoacanthoma.

Keywords: Melanocytes, Melanoacanthoma, Dendritic