Odontogenic tumours—An update

Abstract

Teeth develop from oral cavity lining epithelial cells and cranial neural crest-derived ectomesenchymal cells. In a sequence of interactive processes, these cells develop into enamel-forming ameloblasts and dentine-producing odontoblasts. Odontogenic tumours are derived from these tooth-forming tissues, either the epithelial or the ectomesenchymal or both. Their behaviour varies from neoplastic to hamartomatous. Recently, the classification and nomenclature of odontogenic tumours has been updated. These new views will be incorporated in this article where appropriate.