Radiation therapy is performed in many cases involving malignant tumors, but at the same time some side effects are induced by this treatment. With infants and children, irradiation on the facial region causes serious disturbance of odontogenesis. Several cases of radiation-induced hypoplastic teeth and anodontia have been reported clinically and radiographically, and numerous studies have been made on the effect of irradiation on developing teeth in animals. However, little work has been done to study histopathologically the effects on the human teeth. This paper reports on the histopathologic findings of irradiated human developing teeth.
The patient was a 7-year-old boy who had been suffering from Ewing's sarcoma originating in the mandible. Irradiation with 8000 rad of Linac was performed on the mandible prior to mandibulectomy. The results of the histopathologic examination of the teeth including resected material were as follows:
1. Although the tumor tissue was not found in the resected material, complete resorption of the medullar trabecular bone with fibrosis was noted in the area between the first molar region and the mandibular ramus. Therefore it was thought that the tumor tissue had infiltrated the area between the first molar region and the mandibular ramus previously, and the first and the second premolar teeth had not been affected by tumor growth.
2. The first and the second premolar teeth were in the early stage of root formation, and conglomerates of dysplastic dentin were formed in the proliferative zones. This dysplastic dentin was surrounded by loose fibrous connective tissues. Hertwig's epithelial root sheaths disappeared.
3. The dysplastic dentin showed low mineralization, embedded irregular arrangedfibrous tissue matrix and scattered various-sized lacunae containing a few tiny and pyknotic cells.
4. Irregularly arranged odontoblasts with a pyknotic appearance were found along the tubular dentin, but diffuse fibrosis occurred in the pulpal tissues.
5. The first molar tooth had completed its root formation. Various amounts of osteodentin were formed at the secondary dentin layer. Inner-resorption of dentin and fibrosis of the pulpal tissue were also found. These changes concerning the first molar tooth were also due to the effects of irradiation.
6. The second molar tooth was resorbed by tumor infiltration, and dysplastic dentin was on the resorbed surface of the dentin.
7. The significance of dysplastic dentin and osteodentin was described, and the effect of irradiation on human odontogenesis was discussed.
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