Epithelial islands associated with mandibular nerves. Report of two cases in the walls of mandibular cysts.
Epithelial islands in association with nerve fibers in the jaw bones have been reported previously. We describe two such cases and present evidence that the epithelial structures as observed in this study are odontogenic rests and not neuroepithelial organs. Regardless of origin, it should be recognized that these epithelial islands do not represent neural invasion by carcinoma.
D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003896:Desmosomes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008339:Mandibular Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D009807:Odontogenic Cysts / Q000473:pathology*