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Subgemmal neurogenous plaque: a series of six cases and a literature overview

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Abstract

The study aims to describe six subgemmal neurogenous plaque (SNP) cases and compile the previously available data on SNP. Searches on PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and a two-step study selection were performed to compile data from case reports/series of SNP published in English literature. Our six patients (range 29–63 years) had SNP in the posterior lateral border of the tongue. Four of them were associated with lymphoepithelial cysts. A total of 15 studies, comprising 116 patients, were included in this overview. There was a slight predilection for female patients (56.0%) in the 5th (22.4%) and the 7th (23.9%) decades. The lateral border of the tongue (66.4%) was the most common anatomical location. The major manifestation was nodule/papule. Histologically, the presence of taste buds (n = 40/ 34.5%), superficial neural plexus (n = 32/ 27.6%), deep nerve fascicles (n = 32/ 27.6%), ganglion cells (n = 41/ 35.3%), and lymphoid tissue (n = 22/ 19.0%) was mainly reported. Surgical removal was the primary approach, with a low recurrence rate. Although largely unknown, SNP is a regular and likely frequent structure located in the tongue. The findings emphasize the importance of describing clinicopathological patterns of SNP as a differential diagnosis of neural lesions that affect the tongue.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank CNPq, CAPES, FAPEMIG, and PRPq-UFMG.

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (PRPq-UFMG), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Financial Code 001), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral Pathology and Surgery, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil

    Daniela Pereira Meirelles, Fernanda Aragão Felix, Sílvia Ferreira de Sousa & Maria Cássia Ferreira de Aguiar

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  1. Daniela Pereira Meirelles
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  2. Fernanda Aragão Felix
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  3. Sílvia Ferreira de Sousa
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  4. Maria Cássia Ferreira de Aguiar
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. DPM, FAF, and MCFd A performed material preparation, data collection, and analysis. DPM and FAF wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Daniela Pereira Meirelles.

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An abstract was presented at the “47º Congresso Brasileiro de Estomatologia e Patologia Oral” held in Tiradentes, Brazil, July 2022, annals to be published at TripleO.

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Meirelles, D.P., Felix, F.A., de Sousa, S.F. et al. Subgemmal neurogenous plaque: a series of six cases and a literature overview. Oral Maxillofac Surg 28, 975–983 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10006-024-01211-8

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