A case report on desmoplastic ameloblastoma of anterior mandible

BACKGROUND: Desmoplastic ameloblastoma (DA) is a rare variant that accounts for approximately 4–13 % of ameloblastoma, displaying significant differences in anatomical site, imaging, and histologic appearance. It has been included in WHO classification of head and neck tumor (WHO-2005) as a variant of ameloblastoma. The tumor resembles benign fibro-osseous lesion for being frequently occurring in the anterior region of jaws as a mixed radiopaque-radiolucent lesion. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of DA in a 43-year-old female with a painless swelling in the anterior region of mandible. No fluid was evident on fine needle aspiration. A mixed lesion with multilocular appearance was evident on both panoramic radiographs as well as computed tomography scan. An incisional biopsy confirmed it to be a case of desmoplastic ameloblastoma. Segmental mandibulectomy was performed from teeth 35 to 44. The patient is on routine follow-up and is currently free of ailment. CONCLUSIONS: The present case deserves emphasis because of its unfamiliar appearance, potentially aggressive nature and deceptive radiologic appearance maximizing the chances of misdiagnosis. So, the clinician should be alert enough to include desmoplastic ameloblastoma in differential diagnosis of any lesion/growth with mixed radiolucent-radiopaque appearance having ill-defined borders and occurring in anterior maxilla or mandible.