Odontogenic tumors.Classification, histopathology, and clinical behavior in man and domesticated animals

HE ODONTOCENIC tumors and blastomatoid T lesions make considerable diagnostic difficulty for the pathologist, largely because of their comparative rarity.Few pathologists have occasion to see many odontogenic tumors other than ameloblastomas.Because of the difficulties inherent in dealing with these unusual lesions, errors in diagnosis are occasionally made.Labeling a benign odontogenic lesion as an ameloblastoma may result in needless mutilation.On the other hand, failure to recognize unusual variations of ameloblastorna may allow for urialterecl progress of the neoplastic process.Occasionally the mural origin of an ameloblastoma in a dentigerous cyst may not be recognized, leading to marsupializa tion rather than complete removal; thus, further delay in therapy is effected.Because all of these situations have occurred within the experience of the authors, detailed presentation of a new and more logically arranged classification, histopathology, with clinical behavior of the odontogenic tumors is being undertaken.Further, the field of odontogenic tumors in animals has been largely unexplored and merits consideration because of the similarity of these tumors to human odontogenic tumors. CLASSIFICATIONIt must be clearly understood that the term "tumor" when used in connection with all odontogenic new growths, with few exceptions, is being used rather loosely and not