Ameloblastoma arising in a dentigerous cyst: Report of three cases

We report three cases of ameloblastoma arising in the wall of dentigerous cysts. All the three cases had clinical and radiographic appearance similar to that of dentigerous cyst and were histologically proven to be dentigerous cyst on incisional biopsies. Intraoral enucleation and chemical cauterization was performed for all the three. Postoperative excisional biopsy revealed mural changes in the cystic lining of all the three cases. There was no further evidence of tumor over the following 7 years. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the fact that the lesions which appear as dentigerous cyst may have component of ameloblastic changes in the lining.