Pathologies of impacted teeth: A cone-beam computed tomography diagnosis

An impacted tooth is the one which fails to erupt into its anatomic position due to various factors such as malposition, lack of space, or other impediments. The prevalence of impacted tooth varies with geographic locations and has been estimated to be between 8% and 38%. An impacted tooth can be a nidus for dental caries, infection, destruction of adjacent teeth, periodontal disease, and even oral and maxillofacial cysts or tumors. Therefore, careful evaluation of the history and the clinical and radiographic findings and knowledge about the various maxillofacial cysts and tumors help a clinician to arrive at early diagnosis and render proper treatment to a patient. The recent advancements made in the field of radiology, especially the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), is a boon to dentistry. The three-dimensional imaging has made CBCT the preferential imaging modality for the evaluation of unerupted/impacted or supernumerary teeth and also in the evaluation of odontogenic and nonodontogenic cysts/tumors of the jaws. The varied radiographic appearances of cysts/tumors in the maxillofacial region help in precise differentiation of the pathology and prompt the clinicians to arrive at an accurate early diagnosis. This article discusses three case reports of maxillofacial cysts/tumors associated with an impacted tooth where radiology plays an important role in the diagnosis of the lesions