A Brazilian multicentre study of 2,497 isolated cases of odontogenic keratocysts

Calcifying Odontogenic Cyst Presenting Odontogenic Keratocyst-Like Areas: A Rare Case Report

An 81-year-old male patient presented with a well-demarcated, unilocular radiolucent lesion in the right mandibular body, identified during a routine radiographic examination. Based on the clinical hypothesis of a residual cyst, enucleation with curettage was performed, and the specimen was submitted for histopathological analysis. Microscopically, the cystic lesion was predominantly lined by ameloblastomatous epithelium with numerous ghost cells and dentinoid. Additionally, other cystic cavities lined by stratified squamous epithelium with corrugated parakeratin were observed in the fibrous capsule. Based on these features, a final diagnosis of a calcifying odontogenic cyst with odontogenic keratocyst-like areas was established. No recurrence was observed over a 9-year follow-up period. The association of a calcifying odontogenic cyst with odontogenic keratocyst or odontogenic keratocyst-like areas is very rare. To date, this is the second case report in the literature presenting these findings.

Conservative management of multiple odontogenic keratocysts in a child with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome: A case report

BACKGROUND

Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) is an autosomal dominant multisystemic disorder characterized by the presence of multiple odontogenic keratocysts (OKC), which are a hallmark feature of the syndrome. The treatment of these OKC poses challenges due to their high recurrence rates and the myriad of management options available.

CASE REPORT

We describe here a case of NBCCS diagnosed in an 11-year-old girl who presented with multiple OKC in the jaws. Chest and cranial radiographs showed no abnormalities in the ribs and the cerebral falx, respectively. Cephalometric analysis indicated mandibular retrusion, a skeletal class II relationship, and a convex profile. The treatment approach involved a personalized strategy tailored for each cyst, comprising marsupialization followed by enucleation. This approach aimed to minimize surgical trauma and to reduce the risk of recurrence. The patient underwent regular follow-up appointments, demonstrating successful outcomes with no signs of recurrence or de novo OKC observed over a 32-month period.

CONCLUSION

Clinicians should consider lesion characteristics and patient cooperation when determining treatment strategies for the optimization of outcomes for children and adolescents with NBCCS and multiple OKC.

Sociodemographic and clinical characterization of cases of 1,103 non-syndromic and 66 syndromic odontogenic keratocyst: a Brazilian multicenter study

OBJECTIVES

This multicenter study aimed to evaluate cases of non-syndrome and syndromic odontogenic keratocyst, as well as cases of recurrence within these two groups.

METHODS

This descriptive, analytical, retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated the sex, age and presence of multiple lesions in 1,169 individuals seen at 10 Brazilian oral and maxillofacial pathology centers. Of these, 1,341 odontogenic keratocysts were analyzed regarding clinical diagnosis, size, site, imaging appearance, signs and symptoms, type of biopsy, treatment, and recurrence.

RESULTS

There was a similar distribution by sex. The median age of non-syndromic and syndromic patients was 32 and 17.5 years, respectively. The posterior mandible was the site most affected by small and large lesions in both groups and in recurrent cases. Unilocular lesions were more frequent, also in recurrent cases. Mainly small lesions showed this imaging appearance. Signs and symptoms were absent in most cases. Conservative treatment was the most frequent modality in all age groups, regardless of the patient's condition and recurrence. Recurrences were uncommon.

CONCLUSION

This study showed a higher frequency of non-syndromic keratocysts in the population. Clinicopathological features related to the involvement of multiple sites, age, and recurrence may differ between syndromic and non-syndromic cases. Furthermore, we found an association between lesion size and some clinical features and between the time interval to recurrence and the syndromic spectrum.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

To contribute to a better understanding of the distribution and association between clinical, imaging, and sociodemographic characteristics in each spectrum of the lesion.

An insight into perceptions of general pathologists about the need for oral pathology services: An observational study

Objective

The objective of this study was to identify the degree of perception of oral pathology as a specialty among the general pathologists and the need of utilizing oral pathologists in assisting to identify oral lesions in diagnostic challenges.

Methods

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among qualified general pathologists to collect the data. The survey items focused on various aspects, including the analysis of oral pathology as a specialty, the importance of employing oral pathologists for identifying oral lesions in diagnostic challenges, and the difficulties encountered in managing such lesions. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. For comparing the relationship between work experience and the referral of odontogenic cysts and tumors cases, a Chi-square test was employed. A significance level of p ⩽ 0.05 was deemed as statistically significant.

Results

Two hundred and fifty general pathologists responded to the questionnaire. Two hundred and thirty two (92.8%) participants showed awareness of oral pathology as a specialty. For the diagnosis of oral, jaws, and salivary glands pathologic lesions, the majority 198 (79.2%) respondents believed that oral pathologists are required for the diagnosis. Regarding the referrals of lesions to oral pathologists, 137 (54.8%), participants did not refer. In terms of training in oral pathology, all of the participants agreed that they would undertake short-term posting in oral pathology. For challenging cases, all the general pathologists believed that oral pathologists should be part of the team.

Conclusion

The general pathologists recognized oral pathology as a specialty and feel the need for an oral pathologist opinion in diagnosis. However, most of the general pathologists did not refer the complex cases to oral pathologists. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to encourage oral pathologists and their hiring at histopathology laboratories that are diagnosing complex head and neck cases.

Decompression: a first-intention treatment for “large” non-syndromic odontogenic keratocysts

Though odontogenic keratocysts (OKCs) are benign lesions, they have a high recurrence rate. Because of their aggressive behavior, they have been classified as tumors by the WHO until 2017. Main differential diagnoses are amelobastoma and dentigerous cyst. Anatomopathological examination can reach a final diagnosis. Several treatments have been proposed: curettage, resection, enucleation (alone or together with peripheral ostectomy) and decompression. Decompression aims to decrease the volume of the lesion of “large” OKCs, in order to prevent surgery-related fractures and to preserve the surrounding important anatomical structures such as the inferior alveolar nerve. It could lead to a complete regression. If not, secondary enucleation can be performed in better conditions: a reduced volume to remove, a thicker epithelium to detach, a lower risk to damage neighboring anatomic structures and a lower recurrence rate. Long-term follow-up however remains necessary. Nowadays, minimally invasive surgery prevails. And since OKC was returned into the odontogenic cysts group in the WHO classification, decompression should be considered as the first intention treatment. The purpose of this paper is to provide an update about OKC features and biological mechanisms, to review the different treatment options and to provide a step-by-step protocol for decompression.