Odontogenic lesions in pediatric patients

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Oral Pathology
• Pediatric Oral Surgery

Background:

• Odontogenic lesions are developmental abnormalities of the jaw.
• Understanding their prevalence and characteristics in children is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze a 20-year experience with pediatric odontogenic lesions.
• To describe the types, demographics, and locations of these lesions.
• To evaluate the efficacy of iliac crest bone grafting for mandible reconstruction.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of pediatric patients diagnosed with odontogenic lesions over 20 years.
• Data collection included lesion type, patient age, sex, dentition period, and location.
• Surgical outcomes of iliac crest bone grafting were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Dentigerous cysts were the most frequent (62.0%), primarily in mixed dentition (70.2%) with male predominance.
• Odontomas accounted for 20.0%, favoring the mandible.
• Ameloblastoma was the most common odontogenic tumor, occurring in permanent dentition with equal sex distribution.
• Calcifying epithelioma odontogenic tumor (11.8%) and myxoma (3.6%) showed distinct demographic and positional patterns.
• Iliac crest bone graft was successful in 28 patients, with minimal complications.

Conclusions:

• Dentigerous cysts are the predominant odontogenic lesion in the pediatric population studied.
• Significant variations in lesion type and distribution exist, potentially due to genetic and geographic factors.
• Iliac crest bone grafting is a viable and effective option for pediatric mandible reconstruction.