Pathology · single question
After extracting tooth #30, a small radiopaque spot is found in the retromolar area on panoramic. The MOST likely diagnosis is:
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Correct answer: B. Foreign body (amalgam tattoo from previous restorative procedures)
- A. Normal anatomy in the retromolar area would not appear as a new focal radiopacity after extraction.
- B. Correct. A SMALL, DENSE, FOCAL RADIOPAQUE spot in the retromolar area after molar extraction is MOST LIKELY a FOREIGN BODY — specifically amalgam particles that have been incorporated into the soft tissue during prior restorative or extraction procedures ('amalgam tattoo'). Amalgam tattoos appear as grey-black lesions clinically and as dense focal radiopacities on X-ray.
- C. Cemento-ossifying fibroma is a well-defined radiopaque lesion typically in the mandibular molar/premolar area — not a tiny post-extraction spot.
- D. Complex odontoma is a large disorganized calcified mass — not a tiny spot.