Benign epithelial odontogenic tumors.

Teeth are formed from a complex interaction of primitive ectoderm and ectomesenchymal tissues. Because humans develop 2 sets of teeth (deciduous and permanent), odontogenesis is a prolonged biologic process. Residues of odontogenic tissues are present in most humans- both during and after odontogenesis. These elements may be found in either bone or soft tissue of the jaws and may contribute to the formation of odontogenic tumors in these sites. Further, the mixture of epithelium and mesenchyme necessary for tooth formation allows for the development of tumors composed of either element or for mixed neoplasms. This article discusses 4 of the 5 benign odontogenic neoplasms that are of epithelial origin and offers an agreed on classification scheme, which includes important clinicopathological subtypes. Specifically discussed are ameloblastoma, calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor (Pindborg tumor), adenomatoid odontogenic tumor, and squamous odontogenic tumor. A brief history of each tumor is given along with a discussion of demographic data, clinical findings, radiographic features, and gross features where useful. A thorough discussion is presented of diagnostic histopathology including histologic variants. Generally accepted modes of therapy and follow-up recommendations are discussed.

Education in early detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma: a community outreach program.

An educational program consisting of a slide presentation and lecture, a demonstration of how to examine the oral soft tissues, and handout materials was presented to practitioners, hygienists, assistants, and other personnel in their office. A pretest, a critique by the participants, and a follow-up questionnaire were used to determine the value of the program.

Premalignant oral mucosal diseases.

A premalignant phase in the development of oral cancer is predicted by the classic model of experimental epithelial carcinogenesis. Virtually all oral squamous cell carcinomas arise from a premalignant precursor, but it is difficult to specifically define the term premalignant. Oral pathologists use the term epithelial dysplasia to indicate microscopic features in a biopsy specimen that are associated with a risk of malignant change and then assign a grade of severity. There is good correlation between higher grades of dysplasia and increasing risk of cancer but less so with the lower grades. The clinical appearances manifested by oral epithelial dysplasia and early oral cancer include leukoplakia, erythroplakia, and speckled leukoplakia. This paper discusses and illustrates these clinical lesions, their associated risk factors, their relationship to epithelial dysplasia, and the associated risk of evolution into oral cancer.

Oral cancer: a self-assessment quiz.

This article consists of a quiz on oral cancer knowledge. The goals of the quiz are to reinforce known cancer information and present new information. Photographs are used to bring a sense of the practical problems that clinical pathology presents. Also, a number of real-life case situations are presented with their corresponding illustrations so that the readers may use their clinical judgment and experience in choosing an answer.

Altered hippocampal-prefrontal activation in HIV patients during episodic memory encoding.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the integrity of hippocampal-prefrontal circuitry during episodic encoding in patients with HIV. METHODS: Functional MRI was used to observe changes in blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal in 14 HIV-positive participants and 14 age- and education-matched control subjects while performing an episodic encoding task. Subjects also completed neuropsychological measures of attention and memory. RESULTS: Behavioral results revealed no significant differences in neuropsychological performance. The fMRI results revealed that while both groups recruited brain regions known to be important for successful encoding, including bilateral medial temporal lobes and inferior prefrontal gyri, the HIV group demonstrated significantly reduced signal intensity changes in the right posterior hippocampus, right inferior frontal gyrus, and left lingual gyrus. Additionally, the HIV group exhibited more activity within lateral frontal and posterior parietal regions. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates altered integrity of hippocampal-prefrontal regions during episodic encoding in HIV-positive patients. These results extend previous studies that have documented the effects of HIV on fronto-striatal circuits, and suggest the virus functionally impacts the hippocampal system as well.