Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor mimicking a lateral periodontal cyst – A rare case report in the mandible

Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT) is benign tumor of the oral cavity characterized by its slow growth accounting to 3%–7% of the odontogenic tumors. AOTs mostly occur in the maxillary anterior region and most often than not associated with impacted anterior teeth. It affects the younger age group, especially below 20 years and is commonly seen in females. It occurs as two main variants – (a) central/intraosseous which is more common and (b) peripheral which is rare. The location of the lesion, its association with the impacted tooth, is the basis for the classification of AOT. The intraosseous type may be related to unerupted tooth (follicular variant) or may not be related to unerupted tooth (extra-follicular variant). Radiologically, AOT presents predominantly as a unilocular cystic lesion enclosing the unerupted tooth. The lesion presents rarely with a cystic component. Radiopacities on the intraoral periapical radiograph are seen as discrete foci having a flocculent pattern within radiolucency even with the presence of minimal calcified deposits. AOT being benign in nature is enucleated with least chances of recurrence. Here, we present a rare case of extra-follicular variant of adenomatoid odontogenic tumor in a 19-year-old female patient.