Slow-growing gingival mass.

OBJECTIVES: A 33-year-old woman presented with a slow growing palatal gingival mass. The clinical differential diagnosis included benign tumors and tumor-like lesions, including the pyogenic granuloma, peripheral giant cell granuloma, peripheral ossifying fibroma, giant cell fibroma, peripheral odontogenic tumors, and oral focal mucinosis. STUDY DESIGN: The lesion was excised and histopathological examination followed by immunohistochemical staining was carried out. RESULTS: The microscopic findings and the immunohistochemical reactivity was diagnostic for a nerve sheath myxoma. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical features, microscopic findings, immunohistochemistry, and the differential diagnosis including the relationship to the neurothekeoma are discussed.

Cone-beam computed tomography for analyzing variations in inferior alveolar canal location in adults in relation to age and sex.

Previous studies have indicated that the relative position of the inferior alveolar canal and its mental and mandibular foramina in adults vary with age and show sexual dimorphism. Conceivably, these purported differences could be of forensic value for determining identity of human remains. This study was designed to determine the influence of age and sex on the relative position of inferior alveolar canal and its foramina in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) studies of adults. Existing CBCT studies of the maxillofacial region from dentate adult patients selected at random and ranging in age from 18 to 80 years (110 women and 55 men) were acquired, and the location of the inferior alveolar canal was assessed at three points: the mandibular foramen in axial view, the inferior alveolar canal in coronal view, and the mental foramen in coronal view. Measurements were also expressed for the mental foramen as the percentile position from the nearest superior bony crest to the inferior border; corresponding position of the mandibular foramen from the anterior to the posterior border of the mandibular ramus; and for the inferior alveolar canal at the level of first permanent molar from the nearest buccal bony surface to the lingual surface and from the superior alveolar crest to the inferior border. Regression analyses were performed on the variables with regard to the effects of age and sex. Most analyses resulted in no statistical significance (p<0.05). A few of the sex-specific traits demonstrated near-statistically significant effects; however, these characterizations generally resulted in a 1% or less change per age decade. Overall, the results demonstrated that the relative location of the inferior alveolar canal and associated foramina in adults remain fairly constant without regard to age and sex.

Postmortem dental radiography.

Comparison of postmortem and antemortem dental radiographic films or digital images is a common procedure for establishing identity of human remains. This article describes some problems with producing postmortem dental radiographs in a medical examiner setting and gives methods for circumventing these difficulties. Resection of the jaws, when permitted, significantly simplifies the postmortem radiographic technique. When producing an actual postmortem panoramic dental radiograph (orthopantomogram) from a dry skull, stabilization of the specimen for exposure by the moving beam source may be accomplished simply by placing the specimen upside down on an anthropologist's skull ring. Image "burnout" in the anterior segment, which results from absence of the tissues of the neck, may be avoided by appropriate placement of radiodense objects such as "zippered" plastic bags filled with water or other fluid material, freezer gel packs, or a block of self-polymerizing acrylic. These methods may increase future postmortem dental radiography efficiency.

Third molar development in the estimation of chronologic age in american blacks as compared with whites.

Third molar (M3) development determined from dental radiographs in American blacks (African Americans; n=637) aged 14-24 years was contrasted against American whites (n=563) from a previous study using the method of Demirjian et al. Differences were assessed using descriptive statistics and the parametric proportional hazards model. For each developmental stage, the probability of an individual being at least 18 years old was evaluated. As in other M3 studies, there were highly significant modal differences, but the age ranges at each stage overlapped considerably. Black-white differences were highly significant with developmental stages occurring in blacks a year or so earlier. Gender differences also varied significantly, both with increasing age and between races. The empirical likelihood that an African American male with fully developed M3's is at least 18 years old is 93% and that for African American female is 84%. Corresponding risks for whites are 90% and 93%.

Myopericytoma of the oral cavity.

BACKGROUND: Myopericytoma is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm of pericytic cells demonstrating myoid differentiation. The lesion typically arises within the subcutaneous tissue of the extremities. We report a case that, to the best of our knowledge, is the first case of myopericytoma involving the soft tissue of the oral cavity. METHODS: A 36-year-old woman had a 5-mm sessile, whitish-pink, firm tongue nodule. The patient underwent excisional biopsy, and histopathologic examination as well as immunohistochemical analysis were performed. RESULTS: The differential diagnosis by histologic analysis included solitary fibrous tumor, myofibroma, glomus tumor, and myopericytoma. The results of immunohistochemical analysis, when combined with the histologic features, led to a diagnosis of myopericytoma. CONCLUSIONS: Applying strict morphologic criteria and appropriately selective immunohistochemical markers will help to distinguish myopericytoma in the oral cavity.