TITLE:
Resorption of impacted teeth as a marker of squamous cell carcinoma infiltrating the mandible
AUTHORS:
Sathesh Balasundram, Nicolas Dulguerov, Donald Murray Walker, Colin Liew
KEYWORDS:
Squamous Cell Carcinoma; Invasion; Tooth Resorption
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Stomatology,
Vol.3 No.1,
March
18,
2013
ABSTRACT: Theinvasionofthemandiblebyoralsquamouscellcarcinomahasbeenfirmlydemonstratedbyanatomicalandhistologicalstudies.Althoughsquamouscellcarcinomasmayinduceresorptionoftherootsofstandingteeth,therehavebeennoreportsofthemalsocausingresorptionofthecrownsofteeth. A73-year-oldpatientpresentedwithaninvadingbuccalsquamouscellcarcinoma. Radiologicalinvestigationsshowedtumourinvasionofthedentateregionoftheleftmandibleandresorptionofthecrownsofrightandleftmandibularimpactedthirdmolars. Thepatientunderwentaleftsegmentalmandibulectomyandhistopathologicalexaminationoftheresectedspecimenrevealedresorptionoftheenamelanddentineofanuneruptedimpactedthirdmolarcloselyassociatedwiththeinfiltratingtumour. Thusinfiltratingcarcinomasmayrarelycauseresorptionofthecrownsaswellastherootsofuneruptedteethandcanbeavaluablemarkeroftheextentofspreadofatumourfortheplanningofcompletesurgicalresection. Thesedentalchangesmustbedistinguishedradiologicallyfromidiopathicchangesinuneruptedteethintheabsenceofmalignancy.