Understanding ameloblastomas through tooth development

Abstract

Ameloblastomas are a class of odontogenictumors, which arise from developmental remnants in the oral tissue. Although the cellular and molecular mechanisms resulting in development of ameloblastoma are poorly understood, it is generally accepted that they exhibit an odontogenic source and originate from epithelial cells associated with tooth development. The epithelial sources in the oral tissue that can cause ameloblastomas include enamel organ, reduced enamel epithelium, rests of Malassez, and rests of Serres. These remnants originate from the stomodealectoderm, which give rise to the oral epithelium that initiate and guide tooth development as the embryo develops. It is of great clinical value to understand the developmental origin of these epithelial componentsand their histology, since the ameloblastomas display histopathological similarities to their structures.