Odontogenic tumors: analysis of 188 cases from Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Odontogenic tumors (OTs) represent an uncommon group of lesions that arise from the tooth-forming apparatus. They pose a significant diagnostic and management challenge. There is a lack of data among the Saudi population. The aim of the study was to establish the relative frequency of the various histological types of OTs. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: A retrospective study of 188 cases of OTs using the histopathology archives of the College of Dentistry, King Saud University. METHODS: The histopathology archives of the College of Dentistry, King Saud University were reviewed from January 1984 to December 2010 for OTs. The age and gender of the patients, tumor site, and histopathologic typing were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 188 (4.3%) patients met the criteria for being classified as an OT. Odontogenic keratocystic tumor (36.7%) was the most commonly diagnosed, followed by ameloblastoma (25.0%), odontoma (14.9%), and odontogenic myxoma (6.4%). Two cases of malignant OTs (1.1%) are found. The male-to-female ratio was 1.4:1. The most frequently affected area was the posterior mandible (48.9%), followed by the anterior maxilla (22.9%). CONCLUSION: This is a relatively large series of OTs revealing aspects of similarities and differences with those of previous studies of populations in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The findings of the present study may be useful as a guide for clinicians who need to make clinical judgments prior to biopsy about the most probable diagnosis.