Odontogenic tumors: a study of 120 cases in an Indian teaching hospital

Studies on odontogenic tumors published from many parts of the world show a distinct geographic variation; however, there is little information available in the English-language literature on the relative frequency of odontogenic tumors in India. This retrospective study was designed to determine the relative frequency of odontogenic tumors in an Indian population and compare them with various reports from other parts of the world.

The histopathology records of the Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology of Government Dental College and Hospital, Mumbai were retrieved retrospectively within the period of January 2001 to July 2010. A total of 120 lesions classified as odontogenic tumors were reviewed. These were analyzed for age, gender, site of tumor and histopathologic typing. Criteria used were World Health Organization (WHO) classification 2005. The mandible and maxilla were divided into 4 anatomic regions, and the distribution of each odontogenic tumor among these regions was recorded and analyzed.

A total of 120 cases of odontogenic tumors were reported in this period. Odontogenic tumors in the present study constituted 5.78% of all the 2075 registered biopsies. The most frequent histological type was ameloblastoma (40.83%), followed by Keratocystic odontogenic tumor (37.5%), odontome (11.66%) and adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (5.8%). In general, the odontogenic tumors showed a predilection for the mandible and the posterior regions of the jaws. Ameloblastomas occurred with a marked predilection for the mandible, while adenomatoid odontogenic tumor showed predilection for the maxilla, anterior regions of the jaws, and young females.

A frequency of 5.78% of odontogenic tumors was observed in this study. Ameloblastoma comprised the single most common tumor of all odontogenic tumors. This study observed geographic variations in the frequency and distribution of odontogenic tumors.