Dilated Odontoma Arising in the Mandibular Third Molar Germ: Report of a Case of an Unusual Lesion in an Uncommon Site

Dilated odontoma is the most severe variant of dens invaginatus. It is extremely uncommon in the posterior mandible. It is thought to originate during the morpho-differentiation stage of dental development. However, its etiology and pathogenesis remain obscure. We report here the clinical and pathologic findings of an incidentally discovered dilated odontoma arising in the left third mandibular molar germ of an 11-year-old male and a review of the pertinent literature. As dilated odontoma is not established as an independent entity in the current WHO classification of odontogenic tumors and is the result of a well-established developmental anomaly of the tooth (that is, the invagination of the enamel organ into the dental papilla), it should be better identified as dilated dens invaginatus.

Assessment of dens invaginatus and its characteristics in maxillary anterior teeth using cone-beam computed tomography

This cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of dens invaginatus (DI) and its characteristics in maxillary anterior teeth in a Saudi population. A total of 505 CBCT scans were evaluated, including a total of 2790 maxillary anterior teeth. The patients’ demographic data, including age and sex, were recorded. The presence of DI and the related characteristics including bilateral occurrence; DI type according to Oehlers classification; and presence of periapical radiolucency, open apex, and/or nearby impacted teeth were analyzed. The associations between DI and the other factors were analyzed using the chi-square and fisher exact tests. DI was detected in 7.3% of the patients and 1.6% of the teeth examined. Most of the DI-affected teeth were maxillary lateral incisors (76.1%), followed by mesiodens (19.6%) and maxillary central incisors (4.3%), while no DI was observed in the maxillary canines. Bilateral DI was found in 24.3% of the affected patients. Oehlers type I DI was the most frequent (80%). Periapical radiolucencies, open apices, and nearby impacted teeth were observed in 10.9%, 4.3%, and 30% of the invaginated teeth, respectively. DI was significantly associated with tooth type (P < 0.0001) but not with sex (P > 0.05). Although most of the DI cases are limited to the crown, CBCT imaging is essential for DI evaluation and management.

Endodontic management of dens invaginatus of maxillary lateral incisor: A case report

Dens invaginatus is a developmental malformation of teeth with the enfolding of enamel and dentin into the pulp chamber and sometimes into the root that most commonly affects the maxillary lateral incisors. This anomaly may increase the risk of pulpal disease and can potentially complicate treatment due to its aberrant anatomy, thus posing a diagnostic challenge. Similarly, the incomplete elimination of the invagination and debridement may create dead space within the canal leading to the failures. This case reports the endodontic management of the Oehler’s type II Dens invaginatus.

Dens invaginatus u odontoma dilatado, controversia de una definición. Una revisión de la literatura

El diente invaginado (DI) es una alteración en el desarrollo del órgano dentario, el cual se produce a consecuencia de una invaginación del epitelio interno del órgano del esmalte, también conocido con otros nombres, entre ellos dens in dent. Tiene una serie de características clínicas, histológicas e imagenológicas debidamente descritas a través de la literatura. Su variante más extrema presenta una configuración muy compleja y, debido a la magnitud de la invaginación que presenta, se le denomina también odontoma dilatado, término que para algunos profesionales genera confusión. Este término ha sido mencionado como sinónimo tanto de DI como, en algún momento, de una nueva variante de odontomas, si bien existe una diferencia entre ambos tipos: uno es una anomalía del desarrollo y el otro, un crecimiento de aspecto hamartomatoso. Sin embargo, la literatura sigue utilizando ambos términos para definir al DI, por lo que es importante conocer el origen y tener claro que la controversia está basada en referencias históricas y de costumbre.