Odontogenic Lesions

  Odontogenic infections arise either from pulp death, secondary most commonly from dental decay, alternatively they commence in the pericoronal tissues. In both instances they are of oral microbial origin. Although there are many other causes of head and neck infection, odontogenic infections are the most common type. In Canada, the currently available macrolides include erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin. Macrolides are bacteriostatic agents that inhibit bacterial RNA-dependent protein synthesis. Erythromycin has adequate activity against the majority of odontogenic pathogens, but up to 50 per cent of Fusobacterium are resistant to erythromycin.

From the local population, odontomas were by far the most common tumor (51.53%) followed by ameloblastomas (13.52%) and peripheral odontogenic fibromas (8.93%). Locally, radicular (periapical) cysts were the most common odontogenic cyst (65.15%) followed by the dentigerous cyst (24.08%) and the odontogenic keratocyst (4.88%). The most common nonodontogenic cyst was the nasopalatine duct cyst that accounted for 73.43% of this subset of cysts. Research is going on the  Immunohistochemical detection of laminin-1 and Ki-67 in radicular cysts and keratocystic odontogenic tumors.