ODONTOMA OF THE NASOPHARYNX

Abstract

AS LONG ago as 479 B. C. Herodotus described a skull found in the battle of Plataea, in which each jaw contained teeth that were fused in a mass. Centuries later, in 1774, an osseous tumor of the mandible was reported, and again in 1778 three dentigerous cysts were described. It was not until 1869, however, that Broca coined the word "odontoma." The root is Greek, from the words οδονς-οδοντος (tooth) and ωμα-ωατος (tumor). At a meeting of the Anatomic Society in Basel, Switzerland, in 1895, the term "odontoma" was adopted officially and added to the existing medical nomenclature. The odontoma has been variously defined by many authors as "an abnormality with increased tissue, derived from the dental formative organs" (Sprawson¹); as a "benign tooth tumor consisting of enamel, dentine and cementum either alone or in combination" (Gullifer²); as "two or more malformed teeth fused together," British Dental Association. It