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| CASE REPORT |
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| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 14
| Issue : 1 | Page : 42-43 |
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Bohns' nodules: A lesser reported clinical entity
Rahul Kaul1, Atul Bali2, Vijay Lal3, Rishu Koul4
1 Department of Pediatric Dentistry, FD Hospital, Manipur, India
2 Depatrment of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Army Dental Centre (R and R), New Delhi, India
3 Department of Periodontics, Army Dental Centre (R and R), New Delhi, India
4 Military Dental Centre, Gopalpur, Odisha, India
| Date of Submission | 11-Mar-2021 |
| Date of Acceptance | 22-May-2021 |
| Date of Web Publication | 04-Jan-2022 |
Correspondence Address:
Rahul Kaul
House Number 150, M.H. Road, Ekta Vihar, Udhampur 182101 (J&K)
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jorr.jorr_19_21
Bohns' nodules is a transient oral mucosal condition found mainly in Caucasian infants which are usually asymptomatic and do not interfere with feeding. This is a case report of a 4-month-old female was brought by her mother to a dental clinic with the chief complaint of swelling present on the gum of the upper jaw. The parents of the child were counseled and reassured and no treatment of any kind was performed.
Keywords: Anxiety, Bohns' nodules, newborns
How to cite this article:
Kaul R, Bali A, Lal V, Koul R. Bohns' nodules: A lesser reported clinical entity. J Oral Res Rev 2022;14:42-3 |
| Introduction | |  |
A wide variety of transient benign oral mucosal conditions are sometimes observed in newborns. These lesions show a wide array of developmental abnormalities, morphologic as well as histological variations and different clinical presentations. These include Epstein pearls, Bohns' nodules, and dental lamina cysts. As per current nomenclature, they are called palatal cysts of the newborn rather than Epstein's pearls, Bohns' nodules, or gingival cysts.[1] Their identification, differentiation, and diagnosis play an important role to guide clinicians in prioritizing the management of such problems as well to educate and reassure the anxious parents.
| Case Report | | |
A 4-month-old female was brought by her mother to the dental section with the chief complaint of swelling present on the gum of the upper jaw. According to her mother, the swelling was present for 1 week, but without any feeding difficulty. The child was full-term born with unremarkable medical/dental history. No abnormal findings were recorded during extraoral examination. Intraoral examination revealed small, white-colored, round-shaped protuberances on the maxillary gum pads, which were assumed to be tooth edges by the mother [Figure 1] and [Figure 2]. No such lesions were observed over the mandibular gum pad [Figure 3]. These protuberances were firm to touch and nontender to palpation. The size of these protuberances varied from 2 to 3 mm. No other abnormality was observed on clinical examination of labial, buccal and lingual mucosa, tongue, palate, and floor of the mouth. The diagnosis of Bohns' nodules was made based on clinical examination and the characteristic appearance of the lesion.
No treatment of any kind was carried out other than parental counseling and reassurance. The mother of the child was reassured and informed about the transient nature of the lesion, and given oral hygiene instructions.
| Discussion | | |
Bohns' nodules are named after the German pediatrician, Heinrich Bohn, who first described them in 1866. Bohns' nodules are found more frequent on the maxillary than on the mandibular arch at the junction of hard and soft palate and along the buccal and lingual parts of the alveolar ridges away from the midline. These are smooth, white cysts which are filled with keratin. These are true epithelial cysts containing acinar cells and ducts. Differential diagnosis includes natal teeth and Epstein''s pearls which are more common at the center of the mandibular ridge and along the midpalatine raphe, respectively.[2]
Bohns' nodules are found mainly in Caucasian infants – are usually asymptomatic and do not interfere with feeding. The prevalence of palatal cysts in newborns has been reported to be as high as 65%; yet these cysts are rarely seen by the general or pediatric dentists owing to their transient nature.[3],[4] These cysts eventually rupture and disappear within 2 weeks to 5 months without any treatment.[5],[6] Clinicians should be able to promptly identify these cysts in order to avoid unnecessary therapeutic or surgical procedures and provide suitable information to the infant's parents, thereby relieving their anxiety.
| Conclusion | | |
Bohns' nodules is a transient benign oral mucosal condition, often asymptomatic and resolves simultaneously without any need for treatment. Prompt identification and diagnosis proves to be helpful in educating and reassuring anxious parents.
Declaration of patient consent
The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent forms. In the form, the patient's guardian has given her consent for her child's images and other clinical information to be reported in the journal. The patient's guardian understands that her child's name and initial will not be published and due efforts will be made to conceal the child's identity, but anonymity cannot be guaranteed.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | | |
| 1. | de Carvalho JF, Pereira RM, Shoenfeld Y. Pearls in autoimmunity. Auto Immun Highlights 2011;2:1-4.  |
| 2. | Cohen RL. Clinical perspectives on premature tooth eruption and cyst formation in neonates. Pediatr Dermatol 1984;1:301-6. |
| 3. | Cataldo E, Berkman MD. Cysts of the oral mucosa in newborns. Am J Dis Child 1968;116:44-8. |
| 4. | Singh RK, Kumar R, Pandey RK, Singh K. Dental lamina cysts in a newborn infant. BMJ Case Rep 2012;2012. |
| 5. | Cizmeci MN, Kanburoglu MK, Kara S, Tatli MM. Bohn's nodules: Peculiar neonatal intraoral lesions mistaken for natal teeth. Eur J Pediatr 2014;173:403. |
| 6. | Gupta N, Ramji S. Bohn's nodules: An under-recognised entity. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2013;98:F464. |
[Figure 1], [Figure 2], [Figure 3]
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