Implants · patient case question
A radiopaque mass composed of enamel, dentin, cementum and pulp arranged in recognisable tooth-like structures is:
Patient case: Implants, spaces and a lost tooth
demo: 48-year-old male
chief: Wishes to replace a missing mandibular first molar with an implant.
history: Healthy non-smoker. He also has a Class II division 2 incisor relationship.
meds: None.
findings: CBCT shows 13 mm of bone height above the inferior alveolar canal at the proposed site. The mandibular arch shows a deep overbite. A separate panoramic film taken for a different patient is used to review counting of missing teeth.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. A compound odontoma
- A. A complex odontoma is a disorganised, irregular mass of the same tissues without recognisable tooth forms, and it favours the posterior mandible.
- B. An ameloblastic fibro-odontoma combines the soft tissue elements of an ameloblastic fibroma with calcified odontoma-like material.
- C. A cementoblastoma is a radiopaque mass fused to the root of a vital tooth, usually the mandibular first molar, and is characteristically painful.
- D. Correct. A compound odontoma consists of multiple small tooth-like denticles with all four dental tissues arranged in normal relationship. It occurs most often in the anterior maxilla and typically presents as a failure of eruption of a permanent tooth. Treatment is conservative excision with an excellent prognosis.