Radiology · patient case question
Which lesion appears radiographically as a radiopaque mass attached directly to the root of a vital tooth, with a surrounding radiolucent halo?
Patient case: Radiopaque Lesions
demo: 22-year-old female
chief: Routine radiographic survey.
history: Non-contributory. Asymptomatic.
meds: None
findings: Finding A: a well-defined radiopacity in the region of the missing #16, also visible on 3D reconstruction. Finding B: a cluster of small tooth-like radiopacities surrounded by a thin radiolucent halo, located between the mandibular premolars, blocking eruption.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Cementoblastoma
- A. Osteoid osteoma is a small nidus lesion of long bones, rare in the jaws.
- B. Correct. A cementoblastoma is fused to the root, obscures its outline, has a radiolucent rim, and is characteristically painful — unusual for a benign lesion. The tooth remains vital.
- C. Ossifying fibroma is a well-demarcated intrabony lesion of mixed density that displaces rather than fuses to roots.
- D. Hypercementosis is a bulbous thickening of the root with an intact PDL space and lamina dura following the enlarged contour — no separate radiolucent halo.