Endodontics
Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor mimicking a periapical (radicular) cyst: A case report*,**,*,**

https://doi.org/10.1067/moe.2002.124767Get rights and content

Abstract

The adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT) is a benign (hamartomatous), noninvasive lesion with slow but progressive growth. A rare subvariant of the extrafollicular type of AOT may mimic periapical disease radiographically. We report on a 15-year-old girl with a periapical radiolucent lesion affecting teeth 7 and 8 initially suspicious of periapical disease, although clinical findings seemed to indicate a nonendodontic lesion. An exploratory surgical approach was chosen, and the final diagnosis of the removed noncystic tissue mass was microscopically confirmed to be an AOT. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2002;94:246-8)

Section snippets

Case report

A Thai girl, age 15 years, was referred for diagnosis of a periapical lesion localized to the area of teeth 7 and 8. The asymptomatic lesion was detected during routine radiographic examination in preparation for orthodontic treatment. Medical history was noncontributory. Clinical examination did not show any coronal or endodontic pathologic condition of teeth 7 and 8, both of which reacted positively to electrometric pulp testing, as did all maxillary incisors. Periapical radiographs showed a

Discussion

The case described illustrates characteristic clinical and radiographic features of the extrafollicular variant of the AOT mimicking a periapical lesion. There were, in fact, a number of clinicoradiologic indicators that could have suggested that this case in a 15-year-old girl was a possible extrafollicular AOT, although this subvariant is indeed a rarity. The age distribution of patients with AOT shows a peak in the second decade2; the female sex is almost twice as often affected as the male.6

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    This type is frequently observed between the roots of erupted adjacent teeth [4]. According to Philipsen [1,9,12], the extrafollicular AOT variant can occur in four different places: intraosseous without relation to the retained dental organ, intraradicular, periapical, and radicular middle third. The peripheral type is extraosseous and originates from the gingival tissue but is extremely unusual [13,14].

  • An international collaborative study of 105 new cases of adenomatoid odontogenic tumors

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    This finding may represent a pitfall in microscopic differentiation from dentigerous cysts, particularly during evaluation of small samples incisional biopsy samples obtained in a setting of limited radiographic support. In fact, cystic or pseudocystic spaces in odontogenic tumors has been widely reported in the literature3,8,24; however, many authors still question whether these changes represent hybrid lesions or single microscopic changes. We observed a single case of AOT with microcystic compartments that affected the left maxilla in a South African man, who had a multilocular radiolucent lesion with remarkable root resorptions of all teeth; this expands the histopathologic spectrum of AOTs, similarly described in a recently published case of a Pindborg tumor.34

  • Odontogenic keratocyst: The role of the orthodontist in the diagnosis of initial lesions

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  • Nonendodontic lesions misdiagnosed as apical periodontitis lesions: Series of case reports and review of literature

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    Reports about nonendodontic lesions mimicking apical periodontitis and their misdiagnosis can be frequently found in the literature. This fact occurs because lesions, especially those of neoplastic origin, can present an aspect of radiolucency in the jaws (8–11). In 2012, Koivisto et al (12), analyzing the frequency and distribution of radiolucent jaw lesions in 9,723 cases, found that 73% represented apical granulomas and cysts, 8.8% keratocystic odontogenic tumors, 1.3% central giant cell lesions, 1.2% ameloblastomas, and less than 1% metastatic lesions.

  • Immunohistological features in adenomatoid odontogenic tumor: Review of the literature and first expression and mutational analysis of β-catenin in this unusual lesion of the jaws

    2013, Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
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    The reason for such a female prevalence is unknown. AOT are more often located in the maxilla than mandible13,19,20 with a ratio of 2/1. Most lesions are found in the anterior region of the upper jaw.

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*

aProfessor emeritus, Guadalmina Alta, San Pedro de Alcantara, Spain.

**

bAssistant Professor, retired, Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

*

cProfessor and Chairman, Department of Oral Surgery and Dental Radiology, Charité, Medical Faculty, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.

**

Reprint requests: Peter A. Reichart, DDS, Dr med dent, Abteilung für Oralchirurgie und Zahnärztliche Röntgenologie, Zentrum für Zahnmedizin, Charité, Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt Universität, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353 Berlin, Germany, [email protected]

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