Schwannoma of the floor of the mouth.

Schwannomas, or neurilemmomas (as they are occasionally called), typically present as firm, encapsulated masses with a solid to partly cystic gross appearance. These benign neoplasms originate from Schwann cells, which develop during the fourth week of gestation during the ectomesenchymal detachment of the neural crest. They subsequently form an envelope around extracranial nerve fibers, providing them with a layer of myelin to improve the propagation of signals along the nerves. Schwannomas may arise anywhere in the body, but they have an affinity for the head and neck region and extremities. In fact, 25% of all schwannomas arise within the head and neck region. However, only a few cases of such tumors have occurred in the oral cavity. All previous oral cavity schwannomas had prominent involvement of the tongue, which facilitated diagnosis in those patients. In this case report, I present an isolated floor of mouth lesion with subtle clinical findings.