Odontomas as a cause of tooth eruption disorders

Odontomas are odontogenic tumors located in the jawbone, referred to by the World Health Organization (WHO) as hamartomatous (Greek hamartion - a bodily defect) developmental malformations. The term was first used by Brock in 1866 to refer to every odontogenic tumor. Today an odontoma is believed to be a congenital malformation of dental hard tissues. Odontomas can contribute to the development of dental abnormalities and bite disorders.

The study aimed to present tooth eruption disorders caused by the occurrence of odontomas in 20 patients treated at the Dental Surgery Clinic for Children.

The study group comprised 20 patients (13 in good general health, 6 with systemic diseases and 1 with a congenital malformation), aged 2-17 years (mean age: 8.96 years), with jawbone odontomas diagnosed through clinical and radiological examination. These odontomas were the cause of disorders in the eruption of deciduous and permanent teeth. The treatment method applied in all patients involved the enucleation of the tumor with its capsule and sending the material for histopathological examination.

Odontomas were discovered accidentally or were accompanied by such clinical symptoms as retained deciduous teeth, impacted deciduous and permanent teeth, missing teeth in the oral cavity, gaps, displaced teeth, and the distension of the alveolar process of the maxilla/alveolar part of the mandible. The odontomas occurred in both the maxilla and the mandible, more often in boys. The compound odontoma (OCp) was the most common type.

Odontomas are benign odontogenic tumors that do not undergo neoplastic transformation. The treatment of choice is a surgical procedure involving the complete removal of the tumor with its capsule, which results in full recovery.