2012 Volume 46 Issue 2 Pages 251-258
We reviewed 49 primary ameloblastoma patients who were examined in the First Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Osaka Dental University between January 1996 and December 2010, and assessed the tumor characteristics and treatment methods based on the 2005 WHO Histological Classification of Odontogenic Tumors. The tumor was an ameloblastoma, solid/multicystic type (A-S/M) in 41 cases and an ameloblastoma, unicystic type (A-U) in the other 8 cases, There were no cases of ameloblastoma, extraosseous/peripheral type (A-E/P) or ameloblastoma, desmoplastic type (A-D).
The male to female ratio was 1 : 0.4. The subjects ranged from 6 to 76 years of age, with a mean of 39 years. A-U was common until the 20-29 year age group. The maxilla to mandible ratio of our patients was 1 : 8.8. More than half of the tumors in the mandible were in the molar region, and the frequency of tumors in the ramus of the mandible was almost the same as in the anterior region. Radiographs showed that the unilocular type accounted for approximately half of the tumors, and that the frequency of the multilocular type was the same as the soap-bubble type. The soap-bubble type was more common in the anterior region of the mandible.
Conservative treatment was performed in 40 cases (82%) and radical treatment in 9 cases (18%). The recurrence rate was 10% after conservative treatment and 11% after radical treatment. There have been no recurrences in any of the A-U cases. Although conservative treatment is recommended for ameloblastomas, the treatment should be based on each individual case.
