Nonmalignant nonendodontic lesions mimicking periapical lesions of endodontic origin: A systematic review

The objective of the study is to describe the clinical and radiographic features of nonmalignant nonendodontic periapical lesions (NMNPLs) mimicking lesions of endodontic cause. Five electronic databases, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and ProQuest, were searched (till July 2021) for case reports, case series, and cross-sectional studies, in English language, reporting NMNPLs, which were clinically and/or radiographically simulating periapical pathosis of endodontic origin. Data extraction was done followed by quality assessment of the included articles using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool for case reports and case series. Seventy-three articles comprising 176 cases were included. Sixty-one articles were case reports, nine articles were case series, and three articles were retrospective studies. Male:female ratio was 1.5:1, with a higher prevalence of lesions occurring in the fourth and second decades of life. The majority of the lesions were located in the anterior maxilla. Radiographically, most of the lesions were well defined, radiolucent, and unilocular. Histologically, 29 different types of NMNPLs were reported, with the most common ones being odontogenic keratocyst (25.56%), dentigerous cyst (17.61%), ameloblastoma (11.36%), nasopalatine duct cyst (10.79%), and adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (5.68%). As all the included studies were observational, the quality of available evidence is considered low. Various features such as loss of tooth vitality, history of trauma, and presence of periapical radiolucency may lead to misdiagnosis of NMNPLs and must be considered during diagnosis of the lesion. Additional imaging modalities and histopathology can aid in right diagnosis.