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Open Access Highly Access Review

Unicystic ameloblastoma of the mandible - an unusual case report and review of literature

Rakesh S Ramesh*, Suraj Manjunath, Tanveer H Ustad, Saira Pais and K Shivakumar

Author Affiliations

Department of Surgical Oncology, St Johns Medical College Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore 560034, India

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Head & Neck Oncology 2010, 2:1 doi:10.1186/1758-3284-2-1

Published: 14 January 2010

Abstract

Ameloblastoma is a true neoplasm of odontogenic epithelial origin. It is the second most common odontogenic neoplasm, and only odontoma outnumbers it in reported frequency of occurrence. Its incidence, combined with its clinical behavior, makes ameloblastoma the most significant odontogenic neoplasm. Unicystic ameloblastoma (UA) refers to those cystic lesions that show clinical, radiographic, or gross features of a mandibular cyst, but on histologic examination show a typical ameloblastomatous epithelium lining part of the cyst cavity, with or without luminal and/or mural tumor growth. It accounts for 5-15% of all intraosseous ameloblastomas. We report a case of unicystic ameloblastoma in a 30-year-old female, and review the literature.