Pleomorphic Adenoma of the Oral Cavity: Systematic Review

Pleomorphic adenomas are the most commonly presented salivary gland tumor; however, exact etiologies are unknown. We present a systemic review investigating the demographics, clinical presentations, characteristics, and anatomical locations of oral cavity pleomorphic adenoma. Three electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus) and one search engine (Google Scholar) were used to identify studies published in English with no restrictions on the year of publication up to the first week of August 2022. Studies retrieved from the literature involved clinical presentations, characteristics, and anatomical locations of oral cavity pleomorphic adenoma, data presented as frequencies and percentages. Our systematic review included 71 studies out of 2110 identified. Pleomorphic adenoma in the oral cavity was found more commonly in females [1508 (42.9%)] than males, with an age range of 6–83 years. The most common tumor location was the palate, followed by the lips; the jaw was the least common location identified. Most cases were not characterized of having a pleomorphic adenoma [(2,918 (83%))]. The most commonly mentioned characteristic was a painless mass [(561 (16%))] and the least common characteristics were dysphagia, change in sensation, and ill-fitting prosthesis. Pleomorphic adenoma of the oral cavity can have many presentations. In any oral cavity mass, pleomorphic adenoma should be included in the differential diagnosis and a complete surgical excision preferred treatment.