Odontogenic Treatment
TRADITIONAL TREATMENT OF ODONTOGENIC TUMOURS
Odontogenic tumours mainly occur in the lower jaw and are locally invasive. As they originate from tooth remnants they do not move outside the bone. These lesions are silent and are normally discovered incidentally on a dental X-ray. When the lesions are discovered they are usually quite large.
The traditional treatment of surgically removing lesions from the jaw causes facial disfigurement. This can be particularly distressing, as the majority of such patients are often adolescents or young adults. These are large operations that can take around ten hours to perform as bone from the hip or leg has to be used to reform the jaw. Patients are in hospital for a minimum of ten days and the procedure carries significant rates of morbidity.
WHAT ARE ODONTOGENIC TUMOURS?
Fundamentally, the bones that form the jaws and face develop in a different way to the bones of the skeleton, so naturally they have unique disorders. One group consists of tumours arising from abnormalities of tooth development. A prime example is ameloblastoma. The second group are disturbances of bone growth, often described as a fibro-osseous lesion or giant cell lesions.
PIONEERING TREATMENT OF ODONTOGENIC TUMOURS
Luckily, new developments have shown that this extreme approach is no longer necessary. A much smaller operation can be carried out where the tumour lining is removed from the jaw and the cavity is sterilised. The recurrence rate is approximately ten percent and if it does occur again the procedure can be repeated. With this pioneering treatment, patients only spend one to two days in hospital and experience no devastating changes in their appearance. This minimally invasive approach has been adopted by surgeons in many countries across the world and in some places in the UK.
Odontogenic Tumours Explained
HOW IS HNCF SUPPORTING YOU?
We aim to make you aware of the changes that are occurring in the treatment of odontogenic diseases and most importantly, make you aware of your options. These pioneering treatments are available to you and can be discussed with your surgeon or second opinion doctor. The recent Montgomery ruling means you have the right to be informed of all treatment options. You can discuss these options objectively with your surgeon.
Patient story - Linda
PIONEERING TREATMENT OF GIANT CELL LESIONS
The second group of disorders are giant cell lesions. Read more about the pioneering treatments for these disorders here.