Relative frequency of odontogenic tumors in Sri Lanka: Analysis of 1677 cases

Odontogenic tumors (OTs) constitute a heterogeneous group of lesions with diverse histopathological features and clinical manifestations. The present study is to determine the frequency of odontogenic tumors (OTs) in Sri Lankan population. A total of 1677 cases of OTs were retrieved and analyzed for age, gender and primary site of the tumors. Cases were re-classified according to the 2005 WHO classification of OTs. The relative frequency of different types of tumors was also analyzed and compared with the literature. OTs represent 3.75% of all cases received during a period of 30 years. Ninety-eight percent of these tumors were benign and the rest malignant. Mandible to maxilla ratio is 2.8:1. The posterior part, the molar region, is the most frequently affected site for the mandible whilst it is the anterior region for the maxilla. The age ranges from 1 to 80 years, with a mean age of 30.6 years. Ameloblastoma of solid/multicystic and unicystic types showed a high preponderance for the mandible (>90%) with a ratio of 12.9:1 and 10.8:1, respectively. Out of 1677 cases, 48.7% were ameloblastoma, and other tumors, such as keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT) and odontoma, were 25.7% and 10.1%, respectively. There is a significant change in the frequency of OTs after the inclusion of odontogenic keratocyst as a tumor. Although odontoma is said to be the commonest in western countries, our results showed ameloblastoma as the commonest followed by KCOT, and the relative frequencies of different tumors have changed significantly as a result of inclusion of KCOT in the new classification.