Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor of maxilla: a case report

Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT) is a rare, benign tumor (3–7% of all odontogenic tumors), with a slow growth potential and exceptionally low recurrence rate. It occurs in both intraosseous and peripheral forms.
According to the second edition of the WHO “Histological typing of odontogenic tumors,” adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT) is defined as “A tumor of odontogenic epithelium with duct-like structures and with varying degrees of inductive change in the connective tissue. The tumor maybe partly cystic, and in some cases the solid lesion may be present only as masses in the wall of a large cyst.
A plethora of terms have been used for this tumor like ameloblastic adenomatoid tumor, adamantinoma, epithelioma adamantinum, adenoameloblastoma, and teratomatous odontoma.
Approximately 80% of adamantinomas are found in the mandible, 20 % in the maxilla. The tumor is predominantly found in females in the second decade of life.
We report a rare peripheral case of AOT in a 71 years old female patient in a right posterior region of maxilla. Lesion appear as an asymptomatic, slow-growth volume increase in edentulous area right after the second molar. The radiographs showed a well-defined, unilocular radiolucency in right side of maxilla with expansion and thinning of all its bony walls. The treatment of choice is conservative surgical enucleation of the lesion which produces excellent outcome without recurrence. AOT shows encapsulation and benign behavior. Definitive diagnosis can be determined only after histopathological examination and verification.
Conclusion This case report confirms the importance of early detection of adamantinoma of the maxilla and the effectiveness of its therapy.
Keywords: Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor, benign, maxilla, treatment