Morphological structure and composition of an odontoma removed from a 7-year-old child: a clinical case

Abstract

Relevance. An odontoma is a benign odontogenic tumour that consists of dental tissue elements. Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of odontomas is complicated enough for their high heterogeneity and significant morphological inhomogeneity.Clinical case description. The article presents the results of studying the morphology and composition of odontoma removed surgically for medical reasons in a 7-year-old patient using a complex of the following research methods: optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray computed microtomography and microprobe analysis. The study established that the odontoma belongs to solid simple odontoma. The odontoma is 0.93 х 0.63 х 0.45 cm in size and formed by dentin covered with an uneven layer of the irregular enamel surface. The microtomography provided the odontoma's internal structure 3D model demonstrating a conical cavity formed by the hard dental tissues. The chemical composition of odontoma contains significant amounts of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, and chlorine. The Ca/P-coefficient in dentin is 1.44, and in enamel – 1.66-1.68.Conclusion. The study results contribute to the odontoma causes and pathogenesis investigation and form the base for the pathology diagnosis and implementation of treatment and preventive measures.