Spontaneous resolution of an intraosseous mandibular lesion: a case report and review of the literature.

The objective of this case report and review of the literature is to address spontaneously regressing radiolucent lesions affecting the mandible. In 2010, a 16-year-old girl presented with an impacted mandibular third molar associated with a radiolucent lesion. At that time, the treating clinician considered the lesion to be at high risk of causing life-threatening bleeding. Therefore, it was suggested that she not have her tooth extracted. The patient was lost to follow-up for 8 years. Recent radiographs obtained by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon revealed that the lesion had resolved spontaneously. This article also reviews and summarizes cases in the literature in which radiolucent mandibular lesions regressed without treatment or with minimal intervention such as aspiration or incisional biopsy. The current case report and previously reported findings of spontaneous regression underscore the importance of establishing an accurate differential diagnosis and highlight the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach involving general dentists, oral and maxillofacial radiologists, pathologists, and surgical colleagues for management of mandibular radiolucencies.

Major salivary gland aplasia and hypoplasia in Down syndrome: review of the literature and report of a case.

Salivary gland aplasia and hypoplasia are rarely described in the medical literature. This article presents a case of aplasia and hypoplasia of the major salivary glands in a patient with Down syndrome. A literature review, as well as an overview of the diagnosis and management of this condition, is presented.

Oral Pyoderma Gangrenosum: Diagnosis, Treatment and Challenges: A Systematic Review.

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a distinctive ulcerative skin disorder of unknown etiology, associated with an underlying systemic disease in up to 70% of cases. The condition is characterized by the appearance of one or more necrotic ulcers with a ragged undermined violaceous border and surrounding erythema. Lesions are often initiated by minor trauma. The condition can affect any anatomical site, however the head and neck are rarely involved. Although the oral cavity is subject to recurrent minor trauma through everyday activities such as mastication and oral hygiene, as well as during dental treatment, oral lesions appear to be extremely rare. In an effort to provide a detailed explanation of the oral manifestations of PG, a systematic search was conducted using medical databases. A total of 20 cases of PG with oral involvement were reported in the English and French literature. The objectives of this article are to present the pertinent diagnostic criteria and to discuss the differential diagnosis and therapeutic modalities.

Asymptomatic, nonexpansile radiopacity of the jaw associated with external root resorption: a diagnostic dilemma.

Incidental radiopacities of the jaws are commonly identified on routine intraoral and extraoral radiographs. Dentists should be able to develop a differential diagnosis of these lesions. This article presents 2 cases in which mandibular radiopacities associated with external root resorption were identified incidentally and discusses the differential diagnosis of these lesions. Both patients were referred by their general practitioners to dental specialists for further evaluation of homogenous osteosclerotic foci surrounding and resorbing the roots of the permanent mandibular right first molar. The lesions were asymptomatic, caused no cortical expansion, and were static over time. The clinical and radiographic features were consistent with a diagnosis of idiopathic osteosclerosis (IO). External root resorption is present in 10%-12% of cases of IO and often involves the permanent mandibular first molars.

The blue nevus: a rare lesion of the oral cavity.

Melanocytic nevi are the most common benign proliferations of melanin-producing cells in Caucasians; up to 30 lesions can be seen in an adult individual. Lesional cells are usually superficially located in the epidermis-superficial dermis. Blue nevi are less common. They represent benign proliferations of fusiform dermal melanocytes in the submucosa or deep dermis. These cells contain abundant melanin granules. The blue color is due to the deep location of the lesional cells and the Tyndall effect. In the oral cavity, both melanocytic and blue nevi are rare; the hard palate being the site of predilection. The risk of malignant transformation of blue nevi is unknown; this is mainly due to the rarity of reported oral lesions. Therefore, the reporting of such cases is key to a better understanding and possibly predicting the clinical behavior of intraoral blue nevi. This article presents 2 patients with blue nevi in the oral cavity, and reviews the differential diagnosis of solitary pigmented lesions, including oral melanoma. The importance of proper diagnosis and treatment of oral pigmentations in general, and of melanocytic nevi in particular, is underlined in order to help the general dentist manage patients presenting with such lesions.

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma (HCCC) is a low-grade malignancy with infiltrative growth pattern. It affects mainly the minor salivary glands of adult women. The most frequent locations of this tumor are the palate and tongue. HCCC shows a poorly circumscribed, infiltrative, and essentially monomorphic population of clear cells with few mitoses and almost no nuclear or cellular pleomorphism. These cells form trabeculae, cords, islands, and/or nests, circumscribed by variable amounts of hyalinized fibrous bands with foci of myxohyaline stroma. S-100 protein, muscle-specific actin, smooth muscle actin, myosin, and calponin are consistently negative, which strongly indicates the absence of myoepithelial cell differentiation in this tumor. We present a case of HCCC affecting the upper vestibule in a 53-year-old man. The patient was treated by surgery and postoperative radiation and did not show recurrence or distant metastases 3 years after treatment. Discussed also are the clinical and pathologic features of this tumor along with the differential diagnosis and a literature review.

Orofacial granulomatosis: 2 case reports and literature review.

Orofacial granulomatosis comprises a group of diseases characterized by noncaseating granulomatous inflammation affecting the soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. The most common clinical presentation is persistent swelling of one or both lips. It is important to establish the diagnosis accurately because this condition is sometimes a manifestation of Crohn's disease or sarcoidosis. This article describes 2 cases of orofacial granulomatosis, in one of which the condition was a manifestation of Crohn"s disease. The diagnostic approach to and the treatment of orofacial granulomatosis are reviewed.

Pigmented lesions of the oral cavity: review, differential diagnosis, and case presentations.

Pigmented lesions are commonly found in the mouth. Such lesions represent a variety of clinical entities, ranging from physiologic changes to manifestations of systemic illnesses and malignant neoplasms. Evaluation of a patient presenting with a pigmented lesion should include a full medical and dental history, extraoral and intraoral examinations and, in some cases, biopsy and laboratory investigations. In this paper, an algorithm is proposed for the assessment of pigmented lesions of the oral cavity, and 3 patients with such lesions are described.

Central giant cell granuloma of the jaws: assessment of cell cycle proteins.

BACKGROUND: Several reports have demonstrated the presence of a high proliferative activity in central giant cell granuloma, raising the possibility that deregulation of the cell cycle may contribute to its pathogenesis. As we identified alterations of cyclin D1 in giant cell tumor of bone, and as there are histologic similarities between central giant cell granuloma and giant cell tumor, we assessed jaw lesions for the presence of similar alterations. METHODS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue from 29 cases of central giant cell granuloma was assessed for the expression of cyclin D1, cyclin B1, and MIB-1 (Ki-67) using immunohistochemistry. In addition, differential polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to determine whether there was cyclin D1 gene amplification. RESULTS: The cyclin D1 gene copy number appeared to be minimally elevated in 31% of the cases. Cyclin D1 protein overexpression was observed in 28 of 29 cases (96.5%). Immunostaining was present predominantly in the nuclei of the giant cells. Cyclin B1 and MIB-1 immunoreactivity was restricted to the mononuclear cells with no staining present in the giant cells. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclin D1 protein overexpression may be involved in the formation of the giant cells and the pathogenesis of central giant cell granuloma. As the distribution of immunostaining is identical to that observed in giant cell tumor of bone, our results support the possibility that central giant cell granuloma of the jaws and giant cell tumor of bone represent a similar disease process that clinically and histologically may have somewhat different features because of differences in the anatomical site of involvement.

Cyclin alterations in giant cell tumor of bone.

Cyclins play an important role in regulating the passage of dividing cells through critical checkpoints in the cell cycle. Because alterations of several cyclins, especially cyclin D1, have been implicated in the development of many human neoplasms, we examined 32 cases of giant cell tumor of long bones for cyclin D1 gene amplification and protein overexpression using differential polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively. In addition, the expression of cyclin D3, cyclin B1, and the proliferation-associated antigen Ki-67 (MIB-1) was assessed immunohistochemically. Low-level cyclin D1 gene amplification was detected in 61% of giant cell tumor cases. All tumors showed cyclin D1, cyclin D3, cyclin B1, and Ki-67 (MIB-1) staining; however, the distribution was very characteristic. Cyclin D1 protein expression was seen predominantly in the nuclei of the giant cells, with occasional mononuclear cells staining. There was no correlation between cyclin D1 gene amplification and protein overexpression. Cyclin D3 staining showed a similar distribution, with 88% of cases showing protein overexpression. Cyclin D1 and/or D3 staining in the giant cells was never associated with staining for either cyclin B1 or Ki-67 (MIB-1), as the expression of the latter two proteins was restricted to the mononuclear cells. Cyclin B1 overexpression was seen in 44% of cases. Ki-67 (MIB-1) staining was present in all cases, and between 10 to 50% of the mononuclear cells were positive. These results suggest that alterations in cyclin D1 and/or D3 might play a role in the pathogenesis of giant cell tumor of bone.