A case of severe obstructive sleep apnoea caused by a large undetected floor of mouth dermoid cyst

Abstract

Dermoid cysts are benign cutaneous hamartomas commonly found in the head and neck, but rarely in the floor of the mouth with only approximately 1-1.6% found at this site. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA, interrupted sleep due to repeated collapse of the upper airway, often accompanied by oxygen desaturations) is multifactorial, although few cases have demonstrated a cystic cause. Here, we outline another case where chronic symptoms of OSA were resolved with the removal of a large dermoid cyst in the floor of the mouth, suggesting consideration for imaging modalities during diagnosis of these patients.