Primary intraosseous squamous cell carcinoma arising in dentigerous cyst: report of 2 cases and review of the literature

Abstract

Dentigerous cysts are one of the most common odontogenic cysts of the oral cavity. Odontogenic cysts can give rise to a variety of neoplasms. Carcinoma arising in a dentigerous cyst is extremely rare, with a review of literature showing near 30 cases. The present report describes 2 cases of primary intraosseous squamous cell carcinoma originated from a dentigerous cyst. The first one refers to a 57-year old female with a persistent lesion in the left retromolarregion and diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma originated fromthe incomplete excision of the lower third molar follicle during its surgical extraction. The second case describes the case of an 18-year old male with an impacted upper canine with previous history of infection and swelling of the oral cavity. The histopathological study revealed the malignization of the follicle surrounding the dental crown. These two cases confirmed the importance of the histopathological study of all the tissue samples obtained from surgical procedures. Although the development of a malignant lesion from a dentigerous cyst is rare and its clinical-radiological features are apparently innocuous, this entity should be considered as a differential diagnosis.