title: Erupted composite odontoma associated with malformed teeth - unusual dental aberrations following maxillofacial trauma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tooth development may be hampered following traumatic injuries to maxilla or mandible. The developmental deviations that occur in a tooth bud in the line of a jaw fracture range from agenesis to hamartomatous proliferation. Odontomas are benign odontogenic hard tissue tumors, which are hamartomas characterized by slow growth and non-aggressive behavior. 'Erupted odontoma' is a term used to specifically denote odontomas, which are exposed into the oral cavity. These are rare entities with only 25-30 cases being reported so far in the dental literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  This clinical report is pertaining to a rare case of an erupted odontoma in an adolescent patient which was presenting as a hard tissue outgrowth along with an extra-oral sinus in the posterior mandibular region. The surgical excision of the odontoma along with the associated malformed teeth resulted in resolution of pain and sinus discharge associated with this lesion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Erupted odontomas need to be considered in the differential diagnosis of hard tissue projections or outgrowths in the site of past maxillofacial injuries. Surgical excision of these lesions enable resolution of patient symptoms associated with this condition as evidenced in the present case and in other cases cited in the literature. The erupted odontoma attached to malformed molars and presenting with signs and symptoms suggestive of osteomyelitis is a rare combination of developmental aberrations following maxillofacial injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Sri Ramakrishna Dental College and Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India; dentistpad@rediffmail.com.
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Padmanabhan
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aparna
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008446:Maxillofacial Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D009810:Odontoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D011859:Radiography; D014071:Tooth Abnormalities / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery