Odontomas: Pediatric Case Report and Review of the Literature

Odontomas are benign odontogenic tumors formed from epithelial and mesenchymal cells. They are mostly associated with disorders of tooth eruption, causing impaction and/or delayed tooth eruption, and are an accidental finding on routine radiological examination. The aim of this paper is to present current findings in the etiology and treatment of odontomas, as well as the clinical and radiographic features, describing a case that is rarely found in the literature. A case of multiple complex odontoma in the mandible of an 11-year-old boy is presented, causing impaction of the first permanent right molar, 46. The treatment consisted of surgical enucleation of the multiple complex odontoma with preservation of the impacted tooth, monitoring clinically and radiologically its spontaneous eruption followed by final orthodontic alignment. Odontomas are not an everyday part of clinical practice and given that they are most commonly associated with permanent tooth impaction, it is extremely important to have knowledge of their clinical and radiological features. Early diagnostics and appropriate treatment result in better diagnosis, thus increasing the possibility of preserving the impacted teeth.