VN June 2020

Vetnuus | Junie 2020 26 Veterinary Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery Referrals Veterinary Dentistry and Maxillofacial Clinic, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110 Veterinary Dentistry and Maxillofacial Clinic, Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Old Soutpan Road (M35), Onderstepoort, South Africa Tel: +27 (0)12 529 8276 , Fax: +27 (0) 12 529 8479, e-mail: sadent@mweb.co.za, website: www.vetdentsa.co.za , Facebook: Vetdent SA CAA is a subtype of ameloblastoma that is very specific to dogs. Although considered a benign lesion that does not metastasise, it has tropism for bone, medular, cortical or alveolar bone, causing osteolysis and mobility of teeth. The term acanthomatous means “thorn-like”, referring to an internal sheet of interlocking polygonal epithelial cells reminiscent of the epithelial cells of the stratum spinosum of the skin or oral mucosa. This feature is unique to CAA. En-bloc resection is the gold standard of treatment, and is generally curative. It manifests grossly as a grey to pink, irregular, exophytic, verrucous mucosal mass that arises immediately adjacent to teeth. It is indistinguishable from peripheral odontogenic fibroma (POF) / fibromatous epulis of periodontal ligament origin (FEPLO), squamous cell carcinoma, pyogenic granuloma and gingival hyperplasia; hence when dealing with a patient with gingival enlargement, it is extremely important to send all the excised tissue for histopathology. Approximately 50% of CAA occur in the rostral mandible, but they can be found anywhere in the jaws. Golden retrievers are over- represented in the biggest study to date in CAA (Goldschmidt et al JVD 2017). The treatment options are en-bloc resection with 1 cm margins, intra-lesional bleomycin injections and radiation therapy. The author discourages radiating these lesions due to the possibility of transforming them into squamous cell carcinoma. v Canine Acanthomatous Ameloblastoma (CAA) Dr José C. Almansa Ruiz DVM (Hons) MSc (Vet) Resident, Veterinary Dentistry Dental COLUMN