1987 Volume 33 Issue 4 Pages 777-782
A 19-year-woman was referred to our Department of Oral Diagnosis in February, 1983 for investigation of a swelling on the labial gingiva of the lower left canine region.
Upon clinical and radiographic examination, clinical diagnosis made as cystic odontoma.
The lesion was surgically excised and examined by both light and electronmicroscopy.
Histological findings included a cyst lined with odontogenic epithelium containing numerous ghost cells, a calcified mass, and melanin.
The ghost cells which showed numerous tonofilaments were examined electronmicroscopically.
Immunohistochemical study was performed by the peroxidase-anti-peroxidase (PAP) technique.
When the technique was used to detected keratin, positive staining was found around the ghost cells.
Our case was associated with impacted teeth, odontoma and melanin.
Only four cases out of the 78 cases of odontoma and melanin described in the Japanese literature are similar to the one reported here.
