Incidental Findings on Cone Beam Computed Tomography Images

Background. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) has gained widespread acceptance in dentistry for a variety of applications. Most dentists who are not radiologists/trained in radiology are generally not familiar with interpretation of anatomical structures and/or pathosis outside their area of primary interest, as often this was not within the scope of their training. Objectives. To assess that the number of incidental findings on a CBCT scan is high both within and outside of the primary area of interest, thereby emphasizing the importance of interpretation of all areas visualized on the scan. Materials and Methods. An oral and maxillofacial radiologist reviewed 1000 CBCT scans (382 males and 618 females) for findings both in- and outside the area of interest. Results. Of the 1000 subjects that were reviewed, 943 scans showed findings in the primary regions of interest and/or outside the regions of interest, and 76 different conditions were visualized in these scans both in and outside the areas of interest. Conclusion. From the wide scope of findings noted on these scans, it can be concluded that it is essential that a person trained in advanced interpretation techniques in radiology interprets cone beam computed tomography scans

Nerve Sheath Myxoma (Neurothekeoma) of the Gingiva, A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Nerve sheath myxoma (NSM) is a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor that rarely occurs in the oral cavity. Among the 23 reported intraoral cases, no lesion has previously been reported on the gingiva. In this report, we describe the first gingival case of oral neurothekeoma with histopathologic and immunohistochemical characteristics. The patient, a 32 year old female presented with a slowly growing gingival mass diagnosed clinically as an epulis. The lesion was surgically excised. Histopathologically, the lesion presented as a submucosal multinodular mass composed of spindle and stellate-shaped cells with a myxoid background. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were sporadically positive for S-100 and NSE and negative for GFAP, EMA, SMA, CD68 and HMB45. The immunoprofile of this lesion confirmed a Schwann cell origin. The lesion was followed up for 10 months with no reports of recurrence