Recurrence rate of oral squamous cell papilloma after excision with surgical scalpel or laser therapy: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: The aim was to describe the recurrence rates of Oral Squamous Cell Papilloma (OSCP) following surgical treatment with surgical scalpel and two different lasers (CO2 or Er,Cr;YSGG) and to determine the clinical and histopathologic features of these lesions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study covering a period of 12 years (1997-2009) that included patients diagnosed of OSCP treated with surgical excision was performed. Data was processed using SPSS 22.0 (SPPS Inc. Chicago, USA) and a descriptive and bivariate analysis were conducted. RESULTS: A total of 37 histopathologically confirmed OSCP in 36 patients, 19 women (52.7%) and 17 men (47.2%) with an average age of 33.4 years (14-86 years) were included. Twenty-two cases were treated by excision with surgical scalpel excision, 11 with CO2 laser and 3 with Er,Cr:YSGG laser. The mean age was 35.4 years (14-86 years) and the distribution by gender was 19 women (52.7%) and 17 men (47.2%). The most common locations were the palate in 14 cases (37.8%), followed by the tongue in 11 cases (29.7%) and gingiva with 5 cases (13.5%). The average size of the lesions was 4.25 mm in diameter, with a mean evolution time of 5.9 months. The recurrence rate was slightly higher with the CO2 laser (14.3 %) in comparison with the conventional scalpel (10%). No recurrences for Er,Cr:YSGG were found. CONCLUSIONS: No differences for recurrence rates for OSCP between groups were found. The recurrence rate is low, happening usually before 15 months of follow-up. OSCPs are lesions usually appearing in patients between 30 and 50 years of both genders and located predominantly on the palate, tongue and gingiva. Key words:Oral squamous cell papilloma, squamous cell papilloma, CO2 laser, recurrence.