Head and Neck Flashcards
What is fluoroapatite?
- Component of tooth enamel
- Made from fluoride
- Cavity resistant!
Gingivitis
- Definition
- Cause
- Gingivitis
- Inflammation of mucosa surrounding teeth
- Cause
- Plaque mineralizes into a calculus beneath gum line
- Plaque composition
- bacteria
- salivary proteins
- desquamated epithelial cells
What are the symptoms of Chronic Gingivitis?
- Red, swollen gums
- Gums pull away from the teeth
- Bleeding
What population most commonly has gingivitis?
Adolescents
Periodontitis
- Definition
- Cause
- Definition
- Inflammation of periodontal ligaments, alveolar bone, cementum
- teeth may loosen and fall out
- Cause
- Unknown
- Associated with change in bacterial
Periodontitis
- Associated Health Conditions
- Systemic effects
- Associated health conditions
- Depressed immune system:
- AIDS
- Leukemia
- DIabetes
- Crohn’s
- Down’s syndrome
- Depressed immune system:
- Systemic effects
- Infective endocarditis
- Pulmonary abscess
- Brain abscess
- Complications of pregnancy
Aphthous Ulcers (Canker Sores)
- Symptoms
- Location
- Stimulating factors
- Symptoms
- Painful
- Recur
- Location
- Inside of lips
- Never on vermillion! (herpes)
- Stimulating factors
- Stress
- Fever
- Certain foods

Aphthous Ulcers are associated with what disease states?
- IBD
- Celiac
- Behcet’s sydrome
- Recurrent oral and genital ulcers
- Eye inflammation
What inflammatory infiltrate indicates a secondary bacterial infection with Aphthous Ulcers?
Neutrophilic infiltrate
Irritation Fibroma
- Definition
- Location
- Cause
- Treatment
- Definition
- Fibrous mass
- Benign
- Location
- Along buccal bite line
- Gingivodental margin
- Cause
- Repetitive trauma
- Treatment
- Complete excision

Pyogenic Granuloma
- Definition
- Location
- Population
- Treatment
- Definition
- Vascular (red / purple) polypoid lesion
- Benign
- Location
- Gingiva
- Population
- Children
- Young adults
- Pregnant women
- Treatment
- Excision

Peripheral Ossifying Fibroma
- Definition
- Location
- Cause
- Treatment
- Definition
- Red growth of gingiva
- Includes bone
- Location
- Gingiva
- Cause
- Arise from pyogenic granuloma
- De novo
- Treatment
- Complete excision down to periosteum
- (high recurrence rate)

Peripheral Giant Cell Granuloma
- Definition
- Location
- Treatment
- Definition
- Bluish / purple nodule
- Multinucleated foreign body giant cells separated by fibrous tissue
- Location
- Soft tissue of gingiva
- (Central giant cell granuloma is found in bone)
- Treatment
- Excision
How is Peripheral Giant Cell Granuloma differentiated from the following?
- Central Giant Cell Granuloma
- Brown Tumor
- CGCG
- occurs in bone
- (peripheral in soft tissue)
- Brown Tumor
- background of hyperparathyroidism
What defense mechanisms prevent infection of the oral cavity?
- Indigenous flora
- Secretory IgA
- Collections of lymphocytes
- Antibacterial components of saliva
What are the manifestations of primary HSV of the mouth?

Acute Herpetic Gingivostomatosis
- Vesicles
- Painful ulceration
- Lymphadenopathy
- Fever
- May occur on the vermillion
What are the manifestations of secondary HSV oral infection? What is the cause?
Cold sores / Herpes labialis
- Vesicles around mucosal orifice
- Cause:
- Activation of dormant virus in trigeminal ganglia
- Activation caused by:
- resp infxn
- Fever
- Exposure to sun / cold
- Pregnancy
What is the microscopic appearance of HSV? What is used to visualize it?
- Microscopic appearance
- Acantholysis
- Ground glass viral inclusion
- Giant cells
- Visualize:
- Tzanck prep smears
- shows giant cells
- Tzanck prep smears
How is Acute Herpetic Gingivostomatitis differentiated from Aphthous Ulcers?
- AHG
- Has systemic symptoms
- Occurs on the vermillion
- Aphthous Ulcers
- No systemic symptoms
- Never on vermillion
What is the most common fungal infection of the oral cavity?
Candidiasis (Thrush)
Oral Candidiasis
- Appearance
- Cause
- Appearance
- Gray-white membrane over red mucosa
- Can be scraped off (unlike hairy leukoplakia)
- May ulcerate
- Cause
- Disturbance of oral flora
- antibiotics
- diabetes
- immune-compromise
- Disturbance of oral flora
What is causing the increased incidence of deep fungal infections of the head, neck, and oral cavity?
- AIDS
- Cancer therapy
- Organ transplants
***Immune compromise***
Hairy Leukoplakia
- Gross Appearance
- Micro
- Cause
- Appearance
- White, confluent fluffy patches
- Lateral border of tonue
- Cannot be scraped off
- Micro
- Hyperkeratosis
- Balloon cells
- Acanthosis
- Cause
- EBV

Hairy Leukoplakia occurs in what populations?
- HIV
- Cancer patients
- Transplant patients
- Advanced age
Erythroplakia
- Gross Appearance
- Micro Appearance
- Cause
- Appearance
- Red velvety area
- May erode
- Micro
- atypia
- Pre-malignant (CIS)
- Malignant
- Dysplasia w/o hyperkeratosis
- atypia
- Cause
- assoc. w/ tobacco use

What is the most common cancer of the head and neck?
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
(95%)
What is the long-term survival of SCC of the head and neck? What is the most common cause of death in five year survivors?
- Survival: 50%
- Cause of death: second primary tumor
What are the risk factors for the following types of SCC?
- Head and Neck (in general)
- Lower lip
- Oropharynx
- Head and Neck (in general)
- Alcohol and Tobacco use
- Lower lip
- Actinic exposure
- Pipe smoking
- Oropharynx
- HPV
Alterations in which genes is associated with Classic SCC of the Head and Neck?
- p53
- p63
- NOTCH1
Alterations in which genes is associated with HPV SCC of the Head and Neck?
- p53
- p16
- Rb pathway
Where does SCC metastasize first? What are the locations of distant metastasis?
- First
- Cervical Nodes
- Distant
- Mediastinal nodes
- Lung
- Liver
- Bone
Mutation in which gene causes progression from hyperplasia / hyperkeratosis to moderate dysplasia of the mouth (progression to SCC)?
p16

Mutation in which gene causes progression from moderate dysplasia to Severe displasia / CIS of the mouth (progression to SCC)?
p53

Mutation in which gene causes progression from Severe displasia / CIS to SCC of the mouth?
Rb pathway
Cyclin D

Dentigerous cysts
- Appearance
- Location
- Treatment
- Appearance
- Unilocular cyst
- Location
- around crown of unerupted tooth
- usually wisdom tooth
- Treatment
- Removal
Odontogenic Keratocysts
- Appearance
- Location
- Treatment
- Appearance
- Uni- or Multilocular cyst
- Corrugated surface
- Location
- post. mandible
- Treatment
- Aggressive excision
- (60% recurrence rate)
What is Gorlin Syndrome?
Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome
Has multiple odontogenic keratocysts
Periapical cysts
- Appearance
- Location
- Cause
- Treatment
- Appearance
- Periapical abscess
- Location
- Around apex of teeth
- Cause
- Pulpitis
- Treatment
- Removal of infected material
- May extract tooth
Ameloblastoma
- Appearance
- Origin
- Treatment
- Appearance
- cystic lesion
- Locally invasive tumor
- Origin
- Odontogenic epithelium
- Treatment
- Wide resection to prevent recurrence
Odontoma
- Definition
- Composition
- Treatment
- Definition
- Odontogenic tumor
- Most common tumor of this type
- Odontogenic tumor
- Composition
- Enamel
- Dentin
- Treatment
- Local Excision
Infectious Rhinitis
- Symptoms
- Most common causes
- Symptoms
- Thickened, red mucosa
- Enlarged turbinates
- Profuse discharge
- purulent w/ secondary bacterial infection
- Most common causes
- Adenovirus
- Echovirus
- Rhinovirus
- “AER”
What type of hypersensitivity is Allergic Rhinitis? What is the most prominent cell type seen?
- Type I (IgE) Hypersensitivity
- Cell: Eosinophils
Nasal polyps
- Cause
- Most abundant cell type
- Cause
- Recurrent Rhinitis
- Cell:
- Eosinophils
Chronic Rhinitis
- Cause
- Associated conditions
- Result
- Cause
- Repeated Acute Rhinitis + superimposed bacterial infxn
- Associated conditions
- Deviated septum
- Nasal polyps
- (impaired drainage)
- Result
- Ulceration
- Suppuration
- Extention into sinuses
What complications can arise from sinusitis (suppurative)?
- Osteomyelitis
- Intracranial infxn
- Dural sinus thrombophlebitis
What fungal infection is commonly seen in sinusitis with concurrent diabetic acidosis?
Mucormycoses
What are the symptoms of Kartagener’s syndrome?
- Chronic sinusitis
- Bronchiectasis
- Situs inversus
Cause; defective ciliary action
What 3 disorders cause Necrotizing Sinusitis?
- Mucormycosis
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
- Extranodal NK / T-cell lymphoma
Extranodal NK / T-cell Lymphoma
- Presentation
- Viral association
- Prognosis
- Presentation
- necrotizing sinusitis
- Destruction of cartilage
- Vascular thrombosis with lymphoid infiltrate
- VIral association
- EBV
- Prognosis
- Localized can be treated with radiation
- Most Lethal
- bacterial infxn
- sepsis
- tumor spread
What are the frequent viral causes of pharyngitis / tonsillitis?
AER
- Adenovirus
- Echovirus
- Rhinovirus
What bacteria are often associated with pharyngitis / tonsillitis? What severe complications may result?
- Bacteria
- beta-strep (most often)
- S. aureus
- Complications
- Rheumatic fever
- Glomerulonephritis
Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma
- Population affected
- Associated condition
- Prognosis
- Causes of fatality
- Population affected
- Adolescent males
- Associated condition
- Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
- Prognosis
- Benign
- Locally aggressive
- Causes of fatality
- Bleeding
- Intracranial extension
Inverted papilloma
- Associated with which virus?
- Cell type
- Prognosis
- Associated with which virus?
- HPV 6 and 11
- Cell type
- Squamous epithelium
- Prognosis
- Benign
- Locally aggressive
- may invade orbit or cranial vault
Olfactory neuroblastoma
- Cell type
- Cell markers
- Mutation present
- Treatment
- Cell type
- Neural crest cells
- Small round blue cell
- Cell markers
- CD56, NSE, chromogranin, synaptophysin, S-100
- Mutation present
- Trisomy 8 (some)
- Treatment
- Combo of surgery, radiation, and chemo
NUT Midline Carcinoma
- Associated with what other malignancy?
- Location
- Genetic mutation
- Population
- Prognosis
- Associated with what other malignancy?
- Acute Leukemia
- Location
- Midline abdomen, thorax, head and neck
- Genetic mutation
- BRD4-NUT fusion gene
- (nuclear protein in testes)
- Population
- age 17-30
- Prognosis
- Poor
- 9 mo survival
Plasmacytoma
- Cell type
- Frequency of progression to multiple myeloma
- Cell type
- Malignant plasma cells
- Progression to multiple myeloma
- Rare
What are the three types of nasopharyngeal carcinomas? Which types are associated with EBV? Which is the least radiosensitive?
Squamous cell / basaloid carcinomas
- Keratinizing (least radiosensitive)
- Non-keratinizing (EBV)
- Undifferentiated / lymphoepithelioma (EBV)
What populations are more commonly affected by nasopharyngeal carcinomas?
- Adults in S. China
- Children in Africa
Nasopharyngeal carcinomas spread to which lymph nodes? What are the sites of metastasis?
- Nodes
- Cervical
- Mets
- Lungs
- Pleural cavities
- Liver
What environmental exposures are associated with nasopharyngeal carcinomas?
- EBV
- Nitrosamines
- Fermented food
- Salted fish
- Smoking
- Chemical fumes
Acute laryngoepiglottitis
- Cause
- Symptoms
- Appearance on lateral CXR
- Cause
- Most often Haemophilus influenza group B
- Symptoms
- inspiratory stridor
- cyanosis
- Can cause laryngeal obstruction
- Epiglottis looks like swollen red cherry
- Appearance on lateral CXR
- Thumb sign
Laryngotracheobronchitis
- Symptoms
- Prognosis
- Symptoms
- Inspiratory stridor
- Prognosis
- Fine
- No obstruction occurs
What are the benign tumors of the Larynx?
- Chondromas
- Leiomyomas
- Polyps
- Papillomas
What is the difference between laryngeal polyps and singer’s nodules?
- Polyps: unilateral
- Singer’s nodules: bilateral
Laryngeal polyps
- Cause
- Symptoms
- Location
- Histo
- Cause
- Overuse of vocal cords
- Smoking
- Symptoms
- Hoarseness
- Location
- True vocal cords
- Histo
- Round nodule
- Squamous epithelium
- Underlying vascular myxomatous stroma
Papillomas
- Cause
- Symptoms
- Location
- Appearance / Histo
- Cause
- Juvenile form: HPV 6 and 11
- Symptoms
- Hoarseness
- Hemoptysis
- Location
- True vocal cords
- Appearance / Histo
- Raspberry-like growth
- finger - like growths w/ fibrous core
Carcinoma of the Larynx
- Symptoms
- Location
- Appearance
- Risk factors
- Symptoms
- Progressive hoarseness
- Pain
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hemoptysis
- Location
- Glottic: confined to larynx
- better prognosis
- Extrinsic: involved above / below larynx
- aggressive
- Glottic: confined to larynx
- Appearance
- Premalignant: white / red focal thickening
- Malignant: rough, verrucous
- Risk factors
- Alcohol
- Smoking
- Asbestos exposure
- Irradiation
- HPV
What is the most common type of Laryngeal Carcinoma?
Squamous (95%)
Acute Otitis Media
- Appearance
- Cause
- Appearance
- red, bulging tympanic membrane
- (w/pain)
- Cause:
- Viral infxn w/ superimposed bacterial infxn
- Strep. pneumonia
- H. influenza
- M. catarrhalis
- Viral infxn w/ superimposed bacterial infxn
Chronic Otitis Media
- Cause
- What symptoms differentiates from acute?
- Complications
- Cause
- S. aureus
- P. auruginosa
- Fungus
- Symptom
- drainage
- Complications
- TM perforation
- Hearing impairment
- cholesteatoma
- granulation tissue around ossicles
- Conductive hearing loss
What is the most likely cause of Chronic Otitis Media in Diabetic patients? What severe complications can result?
- Cause
- Pseudomonas
- Complications
- meningitis
- brain abscess
- (aggressive)
What is the most common cause of hearing loss in young and middle aged adults?
Otosclerosis
Otosclerosis
- Cause
- Population
- Path
- Cause
- AD
- Population
- young and middle aged adults
- Path
- bone deposition around stapes
- eventually anchors it to oval window
- Conductive hearing loss
What benign tumors occur on the external ear?
- Epidermal inclusion cysts
- Aural polyps
- Secondary to Chronic Otitis
- Nevi
- Squamous papilloma
What malignant tumors occur on the external ear? What is the biggest risk factor?
- Types
- Basal cell
- local invasion only
- Squamous cell
- Local invasion only
- Melanoma
- Risk factor
- Sun exposure
What complications arise from SCC of the external ear canal?
- Invades cranial cavity
- Mets to lymph nodes
- Result: poor outcome
Acoustic Neuroma
- Location
- Associated condition
- Outcome
- Location
- on 8th cranial nerve
- Cerebello-pontine angle
- Associated condition
- Neurofibromatosis Type II
- Outcome
- Neural hearing loss
Branchial Cyst
- Location
- Tissue of origin
- Population
- Location
- along the SCM mm
- Tissue of origin
- 2nd Branchial Cleft
- Population
- 20-40 y/o
Thyroglossal Duct Cyst
- Location
- Composition
- Location
- Midline of the neck
- (starting at the base of the tongue)
- Commposition
- lymphoid aggregates
- Thyroid tissue
Paraganglioma
- Cells of origin
- Cell markers
- Histo
- Location
aka Carotid Body Tumor
- Cells of origin
- Parasympathetic ganglia
- Secretes ACh
- Cell markers
- NSE
- Chromogranin
- Synaptophysin
- CD56 and CD57
- Histo
- Zellballen pattern: nests of plump ovoid cells
- Red/brown
- Location
- Carotid bifurcation most common

What genetic disease is associated with multiple paragangliomas?
MEN II
(Sipple syndrome)
What are the causes of xerostomia?
- Radiation
- Drugs
- anticholinergics
- antidepressant
- anti-HTN
- antihistamine
- Sjogren syndrome
What side effects result from Xerostomia?
- Atrophy of papillae
- Fissuring
- Ulceration
- Increased dental caries
- Candidiasis
What is a mucocele?
- Blockage of salivary duct
- Cystic swelling on lwr lip

What is a mucocele in the sublingual gland area called?
Ranula
What are the causes of Sialadenitis?
- Bacterial infxn secondary to stone in major duct
- S. aureus
- S. viridians
- Dehydration following long-term phenothiazine therapy
- Major abdominal / thoracic surgery
- bacterial or suppurative parotitis
- more common in elderly
What are the symptoms of sialolithiasis?
- Unilateral, painful enlargement
- May or may not have purulent ductal discharge
Where do salivary tumors most commonly occur? How do they present?
- Location
- Parotid most common
- Presentation
- non-painful
- mobile mass (4-6 cm)
What is the rule of thumb regarding salivary gland tumors and malignancy? In which gland is malignancy most common?
- Rule:
- The smaller the gland, the more likely it is malignant
- Location of common malignancy?
- Sublingual
What is the most common tumor of the parotid gland?
Pleomorphic Adenoma
(aka Mixed Tumor)
Pleomorphic Adenoma of Salivary Glands
- Presentation
- Genetic mutation
- Risk of malignancy
- Differentiating Primary vs Recurrent tumors

- Presentation
- Slow-growing
- Painless
- Mobile
- Genetic mutation
- PLAG1 rearrangement
- Risk of malignancy
- increases with duration
- Differentiating Primary vs Recurrent tumors
- Primary
- unifocal
- Benign
- Recurrent
- Multifocal
- Primary

Carcinoma Ex Pleomorphic Adenoma
- What needs to be present for diagnosis?
- Prognosis
- Diagnosis
- mixed tumor must be present
- (aka malignant mixed tumor)
- Prognosis
- one of most aggressive salivary gland malignancy
Warthin Tumor
- Risk factor
- Location
- Histo
aka Adenolymphoma
- Risk factor
- Smoking
- Location
- Parotid gland
- Histo
- cleft-like spaces
- Columnar epithelium
- Subepithelial lymphoid tissue

What is the most common primary tumor of the salivary glands?
Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma
Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma
- Genetic mutation
- Common location
- Appearance
- Genetic mutation
- MECT1-MAML2 fusion gene
- Common location
- Parotid
- Appearance
- Squamous and mucus-secreting cells
- up to 8 cm
- No capsule
- Cystic configuration

Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma
- Metastasis
- Prognosis
- Metastasis
- Bone
- Brain
- Lung
- Regional nodes
- Prognosis
- Depends on grade
Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma
- Appearance
- Clinical relavance
- Metastasis
- Salivary gland tumor
- Appearance
- small dark cells
- Hyaline basement membrane
- Tubular or cribiform pattern
- Clinical
- Perineural invasion
- Metastasis
- Mets to lung most common

Acinic Cell Tumor
- Appearance
- Location
- Prognosis
- Appearance
- Cells resemble normal serous cells of salivary gland
- Rounded polygonal
- Location
- Parotid (most common)
- Submandibular
- Prognosis
- depends on level of pleomorphism