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Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
Odontogenic and Developmental Oral Lesions in Pediatric Patients
Elizabeth A Bilodeau1, Keith D Hunter2
1School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, G-135 Salk Hall, 3501 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA. Elizabeth.Bilodeau@dental.pitt.edu.
Abstract:
This article reviews odontogenic and developmental oral lesions encountered in the gnathic region of pediatric patients. The process of odontogenesis is discussed as it is essential to understanding the pathogenesis of odontogenic tumors. The clinical presentation, microscopic features, and prognosis are addressed for odontogenic lesions in the neonate (dental lamina cysts/gingival cysts of the newborn, congenital (granular cell) epulis of the newborn, melanotic neuroectodermal tumor, choristoma/heterotopia, cysts of foregut origin), lesions associated with unerupted/erupting teeth (hyperplastic dental follicle, eruption cyst, dentigerous cyst, odontogenic keratocyst/keratocystic odonogenic tumor, buccal bifurcation cyst/inflammatory collateral cyst) and pediatric odontogenic hamartomas and tumors (odontoma, ameloblastic fibroma, ameloblastoma, adenomatoid odontogenic tumor, primordial odontogenic tumor). Pediatric odontogenic and developmental oral lesions range from common to rare, but familiarity with these entities is essential due to the varying management implications of these diagnoses.
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