Calcifying cystic odontogenic tumour: Dilemma and pitfalls

Odontogenic lesions are a category of lesions, which are found to be arising from the remnants of the tooth-bearing tissues of the body, that can be cystic in nature as a result of degeneration or as a result of excessive proliferation of these cells, can result in the formation of odontogenic tumours which are found in gnathic bones in the body. Since their discovery in literature and the explanation provided for their pathogenesis, these lesions have been the subject of debate and controversy amongst researchers as well as practitioners. Thereby, this review has taken into consideration one such odontogenic tumour, Calcifying Cystic Odontogenic Tumour (CCOT), which first were included under the namesake (Calcifying odontogenic cyst) as a sperate subheading under this cyst, but now has been designated under the category of tumours along with various histologic subtypes classified and described henceforth. Although the lesion has been removed in the recent classification, a wide variety of lesions in biphasic form has been reported in the past. Therefore, this present review takes a sneak-peek into this lesion with insight into its presentation, incidence, aetiology, pathogenesis, histopathology and all the controversies surrounding this category of lesion and the current literature about this lesion with proving the fact that this needs to be considered again in the category of odontogenic tumours.