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Cementoblastoma is a benign odontogenic tumor of mesenchymal origin. It usually presents as a distinct lesion with characteristic radiographic and histopathologic appearances. The tumor is intimately associated with the roots of teeth which are usually located in the posterior mandible. The purpose of this report is to describe a case of cementoblastoma and discuss the clinical, histopathological and therapeutic aspects of this tumor.

Necrotizing sialometaplasia is a benign lesion of the minor and major salivary glands. It occurs with a palatal swelling which rapidly becomes a deep ulcer. Histopathological aspects include ulceration of the surface epithelium, squamous metaplasia and acinar necrosis. In general no treatment is necessary and the lesion heals spontaneously in 4-10 weeks. This condition must be distinguished from more serious diseases such as squamous cell carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

A case of male breast myofibroblastoma, personally observed, is described. Preoperative examinations have a limited diagnostic value. Only histological study, with immunohistochemical stain, allows to make a right diagnosis and to distinguish this tumor from other, benign or malignant mesenchymal neoplasms.

In 1990, a 50 year-old man was referred to us for hyperprolactinemia. At 37 years of age the patient had undergone left mastectomy, for a histologically confirmed gynecomastia and, in 1989, he had undergone pituitary adenomectomy, for a PRL secreting macroadenoma (PRL = 3520 ng/ml). Persistently high PRL plasma levels (PRL = 550 ng/ml) showed an incomplete surgical removal of the adenoma and as a consequence, radiotherapy of the pituitary area was performed in 1990. When the patient referred to us, PRL plasma levels were still pathologic and medical therapy with bromocriptine was started. A year later a replacement therapy with cortisone, testosterone, L-thyroxine, was commenced, as the patient presented a post-radiotherapy hypopituitarism. Since the treatment with bromocriptine was unsuccessful, the drug was replaced with cabergoline, but not even the latter was able to normalize PRL plasma levels. In 1996, a nodule of 3 cm in diameter was discovered under his right mammary areola. The nodule biopsy showed a grade II infiltrating ductal breast carcinoma positive to the estrogen and progesterone receptors analysis. A right total mastectomy was performed and the diagnosis was confirmed through histological examination. A case of gynecomastia and breast cancer in a male patient who had been exposed to high PRL plasma levels for several years is reported. In this patient, both elevated PRL plasma levels and a relative hyperestrogenic state may have contributed to originate breast cancer.

The eosinophilic ulcer is a rare lesion of the oral mucosa; it is a benign disease, the etiology and the pathogenesis are unknown. The authors describe a patient with eosinophilic ulcer of the oral mucosa. The clinical, pathologic and therapeutic aspects of this rare disease are discussed.

The Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome is a rare condition of unknown etiopathogenesis. This syndrome is characterized by a triad of recurrent orofacial edema, recurrent facial palsy, and fissured tongue. In this paper two patients with Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome are reported. Also the clinicopathologic aspects and diagnostic problems of this rare disease are discussed.

The authors report on five patients with jaw bone involvement of Kaposi's sarcoma. In this study clinical, radiographic and histopathological aspects are described.

Cowden's syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant condition characterised by multiple hamartomas of the gastrointestinal tract and cancer of the breast and thyroid. We present a patient with multiple papillomatous lesions of the hard palate, facial papules, and a history of breast cancer and papillomas of the uterine cavity. We also report the results of light and electron microscopy of the palatal lesions and immunological studies of patient's T-lymphocyte function.

Benign mucous membrane pemphigoid is an autoimmune vesiculo-bullous disease which affects the oral mucosa. The purpose of this study is to report the clinical and pathological features of 20 patients with benign mucous membrane pemphigoid. Four patients were men and 16 female with a mean age of 58 years. The ratio of male to female was 1:4. Seventy percent of patients showed gingival involvement. Other locations were buccal mucosa, palate and floor of the mouth. The majority of patients had ulcers covered by pseudomembranes, complained of pain and burning and 40% reported bleeding gums. Nikolsky's sign was observed in 60% of cases. In all cases microscopic features of benign mucous membrane pemphigoid showed a separation of epithelium from the connective tissue along the basement membrane (sub-epithelial bulla).

This study examines the clinical aspects of HIV-associated periodontal lesions and the prevalence of periodontal pathogens. Subgingival plaque samples were taken from 55 subjects in six study groups: 1) HIV-seropositive patients with gingivitis, 2) necrotizing gingivitis, 3) periodontitis or 4) with health periodontium, 5) patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis or 6) periodontally healthy in whom there was no evidence of HIV infection. Among HIV-positive patients there was a majority (66%) of intravenous drug users. We detected more Bacteroides intermedius, B. buccae and B. oralis in HIV-infected patients with periodontal lesions and in HIV-negative subjects with rapidly progressive periodontitis than in the other groups. High levels of Spirochetes were recovered in both HIV associated necrotizing gingivitis and periodontitis. The results indicate that there is a similarity in the microbiological profile of HIV-associated gingivitis, necrotizing gingivitis, periodontitis and rapidly progressive periodontitis of HIV-negative subjects although significant differences in the clinical aspects of the lesions and in the immune status of the host have been observed.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a recent innovation in biotechnology for amplifying specific nucleic acid sequences by use of repeated cycles of DNA synthesis. Application of PCR has been extended to a wide variety of biological and medical disciplines; fields of application include molecular genetics, pathology, microbiology, forensic medicine, and infectious diseases. Because of its speed and powerful sensitivity, PCR has become a highly valuable method for detecting small amounts of target nucleic acid sequence with the caveat that it has certain limitations. Importantly, false-positive reactions can result from the amplification of contaminating DNA whereas false-negative reactions can result from introduction of inadequate numbers of primer sequences. The application of PCR in the context of oral pathology is presented along with a discussion of the utility of this technique to aid in the elucidation of the etiology of oral disease.

Spindle cell carcinoma is a relatively rare tumor which occurs often in the upper respiratory tract, the oral cavity, and in the esophagus and skin. In this paper a patient who presented a tumor mass of the lover gingiva which was subsequently diagnosed as a spindle cell carcinoma is reported. The clinicopathologic aspects and diagnostic problems of this unusual tumor of the oral mucosa are discussed.

We report on a HIV-positive patient presenting bilateral enlargement of the parotid gland. The ultrasound examination demonstrated multiple lesions with cystic aspect. A partial surgical excision of the parotid gland was performed, and histologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of a cystic benign lymphoepithelial lesion. The specimens which were tested for Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus by in situ hybridization proved negative. The clinical and pathologic features of this unusual salivary gland lesion which affects HIV-positive patients are discussed.

A questionnaire was given out to a group of 124 dentists in order to find out their level of knowledge of HIV infection. The answers show that dentists are reluctant to work with HIV-seropositive patients and that knowledge of control and diffusion of the disease is poor.

Two cases of peripheral facial paralysis associated with infection by the human immunodeficiency virus in young intravenous drug abuser patients are reported. One patient manifested AIDS-related complex (ARC) and the other fulfilled the Center for Disease Control (CDC) criteria for AIDS. Clinical symptoms and signs occurred as facial paralysis and headache. One patient presented progressive motor slowing and the computerized tomography (CT) of the brain showed a wide hypodense lesion in the left temporal-anterior region and the involvement of the left basal ganglia. In this patient the impairment of the facial nerve was associated with a HIV-related encephalitis. In the second patient the CT did not show cerebral lesions and the etiology of the paralysis was unknown.

The authors report a case of calcifying odontogenic cyst of the right mandible. The clinical and histopathological aspects of this rare entity are discussed.

Oral hairy leukoplakia is a new clinicopathological entity. Little is known about its etiology, pathogenesis and natural history. It is considered a specific marker of HIV infection, although it has been also reported in HIV-negative patients. The etiology appears related to Epstein-Barr virus. Hairy leukoplakia has a characteristic clinical and histopathological aspect, but it is not specific. Because hairy leukoplakia may be easily confused with other lesions of the tongue, the dentist should be very careful in making the final diagnosis. Hairy leukoplakia is usually asymptomatic and treatment is not necessary. In cases of extensive lesions or psychological intolerance of the patient, useful drugs are acyclovir and vitamin A derivatives.

The clinical and histopathological features of two cases of botryoid odontogenic cyst are reported. The lesion is an uncommon variant of the lateral periodontal cyst and differs from this with regard to the histopathological features and the biological behaviour.

The Authors report a case of mucoepidermoid tumor that began its growth inside the mandible. The central neoplasms of the jaws and of salivary origin are an unusual finding but the mucoepidermoid is the far more common with 45 cases already reported.

A case of cherubism, with a follow-up of ten years, is reported. The comparison between the radiographic examinations carried out now and ten years ago allows some considerations on the course of the disease.

Recently, an increasing incidence of oral Kaposi's sarcoma in association with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been observed. This article describes the clinical features and the histopathologic spectrum of oral epidemic Kaposi's sarcoma in six HIV-positive patients. Etiopathogenic, epidemiologic, therapeutic aspects of Kaposi's sarcoma of the oral cavity and its interrelationship with AIDS are discussed.

A patient with Kaposi's sarcoma of the oral cavity is reported. The intralesional use of vinblastine may be an effective treatment for small Kaposi's sarcoma lesions of the mouth or the skin that are painful or create cosmetic problems.