title: Practical significance of utilizing fine needle aspiration cytology as an adjunct diagnostic aid in the preoperative presumptive diagnosis of ameloblastoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cytological reports of ameloblastoma are relatively rare in the literature. Appropriate cytologic diagnosis may play a significant role in its preoperative presumptive diagnosis, especially when incisional biopsy findings are inadequate.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To systematically study the detailed cytomorphologic features of ameloblastoma and to evaluate the role of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in its preoperative diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, FNAC was done on 26 cases of intra-osseous jaw lesion, clinically diagnosed as odontogenic tumor or developmental odontogenic cysts and detailed cytopathological interpretation was carried out and the results were correlated with the corresponding histopathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 26 cases, 15 were found to be ameloblastoma and sensitivity of FNAC in the diagnosis of ameloblastoma was found to be 86.6%. None of the intra-osseous jaw lesion was false positively diagnosed as ameloblastoma in FNAC and hence the specificity was found to be 100%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Presence of cohesive epithelial cell clusters exhibiting smaller basaloid cells with peripherally placed tall columnar cells and occasional large squamous cells either adjoining the basaloid epithelial clusters or in isolated group aids in the specific cytological diagnosis of ameloblastoma and FNAC offers an excellent diagnostic aid that may play a significant role in preoperative presumptive diagnosis of ameloblastoma along with incisional biopsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Chettinad Dental College and Research Institute (CDCRI), Chettinad Health City, IT highway - Chennai, Kelambakkam, Kanchipuram District, Tamilnadu, India.
authors.forename: Sriram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaliamoorthy
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Mahatma Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Dental Sciences, (MGPGI) Government of Puducherry Institution, Indira Nagar, Gorimedu, Pondicherry, India.
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Venkatapathy
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Mahatma Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Dental Sciences, (MGPGI) Government of Puducherry Institution, Indira Nagar, Gorimedu, Pondicherry, India.
authors.forename: Premalatha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.affiliation: Division of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Rajamuthiah Dental College and Hospital (RMDCH), Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Veeravarmal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Veeran
keywords: Ameloblastoma; FNAC; cytology; odontogenic tumor