Odontomas in cats causing missing teeth and jaw swelling

Abstract

Odontomas are rare, benign odontogenic tumors in dogs, cats, humans, and other species. Although odontomas have been referenced as occurring in dogs and cats, there are no publications pertaining to odontomas in cats. This case series of nine odontomas in eight cats includes description of clinical presentations, diagnostic imaging findings, histopathologic characteristics, and treatment outcomes. Common clinical presentations in this study include missing teeth, tooth displacement, presence of a fluctuant mass, and alveolar bone expansion. Diagnostic imaging reveals a mixed radiodense central opacity containing radiopaque tooth-like structures and a variably thick radiolucent rim, consistent with compound odontomas. However, one mature odontoma in an older patient had fusion of the denticles that complicated visualization of discrete denticles radiographically. Three lesions contained unerupted teeth and two had unilocular radiolucencies consistent with cyst formation. Although radiographic findings are often highly diagnostic for odontomas, it is recommended to send an oral biopsy of the lesion to a histopathologist who has a focus on oral and maxillofacial pathology for confirmation of the diagnosis. Common treatments include either surgical en bloc resection or enucleation and curettage. In this study, both treatment types were curative and there was no documented recurrence in the cats for whom follow-up was available.