Peripheral ameloblastoma: a case report and review of the literature

Peripheral ameloblastoma is a rare, benign odontogenic tumor that histologically resembles an intraosseous ameloblastoma but develops in the soft tissues of the gingiva and mucosa and exhibits an innocuous clinical behavior. We report a case of a recurrent peripheral ameloblastoma in a 61-year-old man that presented as a painless swelling on the maxillary anterior labial attached gingiva. Clinical and histopathologic features of this lesion are discussed. The peripheral ameloblastoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of a gingival lesion clinically resembling any of the myriads of entities seen on the gingiva including a pyogenic granuloma, peripheral giant cell granuloma, or parulis/gumboil. We believe this case highlights the need for submitting excised tissue for microscopic examination.