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Abstract

Adenomatoid odontogenic tumors (AOTs) are considered as uncommon odontogenic tumors. Most of AOTs are presented in radiographic images as well-defined, unilocular radiolucency lesions associated with impacted permanent or supernumerary tooth. Therefore, the radiographic differential diagnosis of AOTs from other cystic lesions associated with teeth is challenging. The cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), which provides cross-sectional images of teeth and the maxillofacial region with high resolution, is now increasingly applied in nearly all branches of dentistry. However, its advantages in diagnosing AOTs have never been specifically illustrated. In our study, we analyzed the radiographic features of both CBCT and panoramic images of five cases, which had been histopathologically diagnosed as AOTs. The emphasis of our analysis was on the perception of characteristic radiopaque patterns. On CBCT images, dozens of small calcification foci were commonly observed scattering inside the cystic lesions irregularly in all five cases. This galaxy-like character appeared to be the distinctive feature of AOTs showing on CBCT. On panoramic radiographs, the radiopacities patterns were different among the five cases, with numerous scattered radiopacities observed in two cases and only few calcification foci or thin radiopaque line found in other three cases. Furthermore, compared to panoramic images, three-dimensional structures of the lesions and their spatial relationship with surrounding structures were also precisely shown on the CBCT images. In conclusion, CBCT is advantageous for displaying the extent, border, surrounding structures and detailed intra-lesional structures such as featured calcification foci of AOTs, particularly when the lesion is overlapped with adjacent bony structures.

Biography

Meng Jiang received her bachelor?s degree in dentistry from the West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, China in 2012. She is currently a first-year graduate student at the Oral Radiology Department of the West China School of Stomatology working on her M.S. program under the supervision of Prof. Hu Wang. Her research interest is the radiographic diagnosis of lesions in maxillofacial region, such as dentigerous cysts, ameloblastoma (AME), keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT), Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT) and calcifying cystic odontogenic tumor (CCOT).