title: Necrotizing sialometaplasia as a cause of a non-ulcerated nodule in the hard palate: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Necrotizing sialometaplasia is a benign, self-limiting and rare inflammatory disease which, on clinical and histological examination, mimics malignant neoplasms.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the case of a healthy 25-year-old Caucasian woman with a three-week history of a painless lump on her hard palate. Oral examination revealed a nodule consisting of two lobules on the right side that measured 2.5 cm. Her mucosa was normal in color and a fluctuant area was detected in the posterior region upon palpation. Our patient was submitted to incisional biopsy and histopathological examination. The histological diagnosis was necrotizing sialometaplasia. The lesion had healed spontaneously after 30 days, with observed signs of involution of the nodule.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Histopathological examination is necessary for the diagnosis of necrotizing sialometaplasia because the clinical features of this condition can mimic other diseases, particularly malignant neoplasms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, São José dos Campos Dental School, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil. janete@fosjc.unesp.br.
authors.forename: Mônica Ghislaine
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Oliveira Alves
authors.forename: Dárcio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kitakawa
authors.forename: Yasmin Rodarte
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Luiz Antonio
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Guimarães Cabral
authors.forename: Janete Dias
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Almeida