Odontogenic tumors in Chile: a study of 362 cases

TLDR

Odontogenic tumors are infrequent lesions, and a large case review is needed because little information exists on their relative frequency in Latin America. This study aimed to determine the relative frequency of odontogenic tumors in a Chilean population and compare the findings with previous reports. The authors reviewed 28,041 specimens from 1975 to 2000 at the Oral Pathology Referral Institute, reclassifying tumors according to WHO 1992 histological criteria. Among 362 tumors (1.29% of all specimens), odontomas were most common (44.7%), followed by ameloblastomas (20.4%) and myxomas (8.8%); malignant tumors were very rare, and the age and gender distribution matched North American series but differed from Asian and African reports.

Abstract

Abstract Background: Odontogenic tumors are infrequent lesions. Thus, the review of a large number of cases becomes a necessity for both the pathologist and the clinician. Studies on odontogenic tumors have been published in many parts of the world, but there is little information available in the English language literature on the relative frequency of odontogenic tumors in Latin America. The aim of this study was to determine the relative frequency of this heterogeneous group of lesions in a Chilean population, and to compare these data with previous reports. Methods: We reviewed the records of 28,041 specimens from 1975 to 2000 in the Oral Pathology Referral Institute (IREPO), and using the criteria for histological typification published by the World Health Organization in 1992, we reclassified the odontogenic tumors. Results: We confirmed a total of 362 odontogenic tumors. The frequency of odontogenic tumors as a percentage of all pathological specimens in our institute was 1.29%. The most frequent histological type was odontomas (44.7%), followed by ameloblastomas (20.4%) and myxomas (8.8%). Conclusions: Odontogenic tumors are uncommon lesions in the Chilean population and malignant odontogenic tumors are very rare. The relative frequency of various types of odontogenic tumors, as well as the age and gender distribution are similar to those reported in the North American series and different from those found in recently published Asian and African series.