The Main Differential Diagnosis of Swellings in the Posterolateral Part of the Hard Palate: A Mini Review

Oral lesions consist of ulcerations, red-white lesions, pigmentations, and exophytic lesions. Exophytic lesions include swellings that project over the normal contours of the mucosa. In addition to a swelling’s surface texture, the type of base, and consistency, its location is also of significant importance in limiting the differential diagnosis and reducing the time needed to achieve it in some cases. According to the literature, one of the locations whose lesions are not readily and quickly diagnosed is the palate. Our review of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases revealed that the lesions of the posterolateral portion of the palate, which account for the majority of the palate’s lesions, can be divided into four main categories, including 1) odontogenic infections or dental abscesses, 2) salivary gland neoplasms, 3) palatal mesenchymal tumors, and 4) maxillary sinus malignancies, which are discussed in this study. When clinicians face a swelling located at the palate’s posterolateral segment, they should consider the abovementioned entities as the most probable differential diagnosis, respectively.