Periapical cemental (fibrous) dysplasia. Clinical, radiographic and pathologic aspects in 7 reported cases.

AIM: Periapical cemental dysplasia (PCD) is a relatively common, well-defined pathology. Because of the structural similarities existing in the group of the so-called "fibro-(cemento)-osseus lesions" of the jaws, to which PCD belongs, clinical and radiographic findings are probably more diagnostic than histology. The aim of the present paper is to analyse some new cases of PCD and to compare their clinical, radiographic and histologic features to those reported by the international literature. METHODS: Seven new cases of PCD are presented here; they were observed in a 12-year period of time. All the patients are white women and 6 lesions exceeded 1 cm in diameter. Only 2 patients were surgically treated, but all of them are still today clinically and radiographically followed. RESULTS: Clinical, radiographic and histologic data of our cases are generally in agreement with those provided by the international literature. CONCLUSION: Finally, stress is laid on the existing difficulty, at present as well as in the past, of establishing definitive classification criteria for all fibro-cemento-osseous lesions of the jaws.