Pigmented odontogenic tumor of jawbone:A previously undescribed expression of neoplastic potential

Abstract

A tumor of epithelial odontogenic origin was associated with an unerupted mandibular molar tooth in a 12-year-old girl. Prominent intracellular melanin pigmentation and lack of melanogenic organelles suggest that melanin was phagocytized by the tumor cells during an early developmental phase. The histogenesis of this neoplasm is discussed, and microscopic features are delineated.