title: Ameloblastoma in the Northeast region of Brazil: A review of 112 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ameloblastomas are benign tumors of the jaws with locally invasive capacity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to review 112 cases of ameloblastoma seen over an 18-year period (1992-2009) at the Pernambuco Dental School, University of Pernambuco and at Federal University of Sergipe, in the northeast region of Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  THE FOLLOWING DATA WERE SELECTED FOR ANALYSIS: age, gender, race, site distribution, radiographic appearance, association with an impacted tooth, size, presence of symptoms, clinicopathologic subtypes and recurrence.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study, Pearson's χ(2) test and t-test were employed. The critical level of significance was set at P < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the patients at presentation was 35.1 ± 16.8 years with a slight female preference. The peak prevalence was in the 11- to 20-year age group and declined with increasing age. Total 75 patients were black and 37 were white, for a 2:1 black: white ratio. The location of the ameloblastomas showed a marked predominance in the mandible (84.8%) and 69% of the cases presented with a multilocular radiographic appearance. The tumor was associated with an embedded tooth in 14 cases (12.7%): nine unilocular and five multilocular ameloblastomas. The maximum radiological extension of the lesions on panoramic radiographs was 0.5-20 cm (mean ± SD: 5.2 ± 3.3 cm) and most cases were symptom-free (75.9%). Solid/multicystic ameloblastoma was the most common clinicopathologic subtype. There was an association between the clinicopathologic subtypes and radiographic appearance (P < 0.001). Recurrence was observed in 13.3% of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose that racial factors may have strong influence on the incidence of ameloblastomas in the northeast region of Brazil, since most people have African descent. Data related to gender, location, radiographic appearance, size, symptoms, clinicopathologic subtypes and recurrence were similar to previous studies conducted in various parts of the world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pernambuco Dental School, Pernambuco, Brazil ; Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Sergipe, Sergipe, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago de Santana
authors.initials: Tde S
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Sergipe, Sergipe, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marta Rabello
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Piva
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pernambuco Dental School, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Emanuel Sávio de Souza
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pernambuco Dental School, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vajgel
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pernambuco Dental School, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo José de Holanda
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Sergipe, Sergipe, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Ricardo Saquete
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Martins-Filho
keywords: Ameloblastoma; Brazilian; epidemiology; odontogenic tumors