Congenital epulis

Abstract

Epulis is a rare tumour, with female preponderance that is only seen in the newborns. It arises from the mucosa of the gingiva and protrudes out of the infant's mouth. It can potentially obstruct the airways and may require an EXIT (ex-utero intrapartum treatment) procedure which involves establishing an airway before the feto-maternal circulation is interrupted. We present a female newborn with such a mass, which was diagnosed antenatally. A multidisciplinary team including the neonatologist, anaesthesiologist and ENT specialist should be present in the delivery room to establish the airways, which may require an EXIT procedure. Recommended treatment is early surgical resection. Recurrences of the tumour and damage to future dentition have not been reported, suggesting that radical excision is not warranted.