Benign intraoral salivary gland tumors have no identifiable etiologic factors and consist mainly of the neoplasms known as pleomorphic adenoma and monomorphic adenoma. These tumors affect mainly adults, with a slight female predilection.

The pleomorphic adenoma intraorally involves the posterior hard palate or anterior soft palate most commonly, but can be seen in the buccal mucosa and labial mucosa. The upper labial mucosa is the most common site for the monomorphic adenoma.

These neoplasms present as a unilateral slowly growing asymptomatic nodule. On palpation these neoplasms usually have a rubbery consistency and tumors involving the labial, buccal or soft palate mucosa are freely movable. Tumors of the posterior hard palate are not movable because they are set in the densely collagenous tissue of the hard palate.

A monomorphic adenoma with a prominent cystic component may appear bluish in color, but most lesions show no significant color change.

Such tumors may also develop in the major salivary glands.