Unicystic ameloblastoma in a child: A case study and review of the literature

SummaryWe report a case of a 15-year-old female patient referred for diagnosis and treatment of an asymptomatic unilocular rather ill-defined radiolucent lesion localized distal to the lower second right molar. A previous panoramic radiograph taken two years earlier by his practitioner demonstrated the presence of a well demarcated unilocular radiolucency surrounding the crown of the partially erupted mandibular right second molar (#47) but no radiologic evidence of the present lesion. The lesion was removed by enucleation, curettage and extraction of the #48** tooth germ. Differential diagnosis included a residual dentigerous cyst, a keratocyst or an odontogenic tumor. Histopathological examination of the enucleated material provided a diagnosis of plexiform unicystic ameloblastoma (UA) with mural invasion. The patient underwent regular clinical and radiological controls and a last follow-up examination at 30 months showed no recurrence of the tumor. This case illustrates the importance and difficulty of the differential diagnosis of unicystic ameloblastoma presenting in the posterior region of the mandible.