Isfahan University of Medical SciencesDental Research Journal1735-33279320120821Primary oral malignant melanoma: Clinicopathological series of four cases10951095ENAjayKumarDepartments of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Microbiology, Swami Devi Dyal Hospital and Dental College, Panchkula, Haryana, India. drbansal77ynr@yahoo.co.inRuchiBindalDeviC. ShettyHarkanwalP. Singh20120821Melanoma of the oral cavity is a rare malignant disease. On account of the presence at relativelyobscure areas in the oral cavity, most of oral malignant melanomas are diagnosed at a late stage.Early diagnosis is essential for successful treatment and perhaps is the key factor in improving theprognosis of oral malignant melanoma. However, no large clinical series exist, and in fact, clinicalcases are the sole key source of information. We hereby present a series of four cases of primaryoral malignant melanoma of South-East Asian ethnic origin, with long-term, regular follow-up. Theage of the patients ranged between 40 and 70 years, with equal sex predilection, and the gingiva wasfound to be the most common site of its occurrence. Based on clinical and histological parameters,all the cases were diagnosed as primary malignant melanoma, which were further confirmed byusing immunohistochemical markers.Key Words: Malignancy, malignant, melanin, melanocytes