Ameloblastic Fibro-Odontoma

Ameloblastic fibro-odontoma (AFO) is an expansive, slow-progressing odontogenic tumor that accounts for 0.3–1.7% of jaw tumors. The 2005 WHO Classification of Tumors (3rd Edition) defines it as “a tumor composed of proliferating epithelial odontogenic cells in extracellular stromal tissue, with varying degrees of induced deformation and hard tissue formation of teeth” [1, 2]. Ameloblastic fibro-odontoma is a lesion that combines soft and hard tissue components, accompanied with dentin and enamel. In very few cases, AFO is called ameloblastic fibrodentinoma as long as dentin is present. The 2017 WHO Classification of Odontogenic Tumors considered that the hard tissue of dysplastic teeth in the lesions of ameloblastic fibro-odontoma and ameloblastic fibrodentinoma eventually developed into mature dentin or enamel, which means ameloblastic fibro-odontoma and ameloblastic fibrodentinoma are only a stage in the development of odontoma, with no enough evidence to support the classification of the two as independent disease types [1–4]. So, in 2017, WHO classified them as odontomas of different degrees of development [1, 4, 5]. AFO occurs primarily in children and young adults (before the age of 20 years) with no significant gender orientation. AFO tends to occur in the posterior dental region of the mandible and usually presents as a painless, slow-growing lesion of the jaw that prevents normal tooth eruption. Surgical excision is the main treatment method for AFO. The removal of the affected unerupted teeth depends on the circumstances. AFO has a low recurrence [3, 4].