Back to all papers

Three-Dimensional Radiographic and Morphological Features of Ameloblastoma and Odontogenic Keratocyst: A Comparative Cone Beam Computed Tomography Study Using Automatic Segmentation.

June 23, 2026pubmed logopapers

Authors

Li L,Huang S,Zhang X,Liu X,Cheng Y,Yang K,Zhang L,He H,Huang Z

Affiliations (5)

  • State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
  • School of Computer Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
  • State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China; Department of Oral Radiology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
  • State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • School of Computer Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].

Abstract

We aimed to compare the three-dimensional (3D) radiographic and morphological features, and explore their associations in ameloblastoma (AM) and odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) on CBCT scans, to facilitate clinicians in the preoperative differential diagnosis between the two lesions. CBCT scans of 151 AMs and 164 OKCs were retrospectively collected. The morphological features (volume, length, width, height) of lesions were obtained by OCL-Net automatically, an algorithm established for odontogenic cystic lesion (OCL) segmentation. Meanwhile, the radiographic features of lesions including shape, border, buccolingual expansion, cortical bone destruction, lesion-tooth relationship, root resorption and tooth displacement were assessed by maxillofacial radiologists. Differences in morphological and radiographic features between AM and OKC were identified. Additionally, associations between morphological and radiographic features were analyzed separately in AM and OKC cases. AM showed significantly greater volume (p = 0.002), length (p = 0.009), length-to-width (p = 0.014), and length-to-height (p = 0.022) ratios compared with OKC. Additionally, scalloped borders (p = 0.003), buccolingual expansion (p < 0.001), cortical bone destruction (p = 0.035), root resorption (p < 0.001) and tooth displacement (p = 0.014), were more commonly observed in AMs than in OKCs. Moreover, OKCs with cortical bone destruction (p < 0.001) and tooth displacement (p < 0.01) were significantly larger than those without, while these radiographic features were not associated with lesion volume in AMs. OKCs generally show smaller lesion volumes, less extensive invasion along the frontal axis, and less aggressive radiographic features on CBCT than AMs. In addition, small lesions that cause destruction of the surrounding tissues are more likely to be AMs rather than OKCs. Our findings may aid clinicians in the preoperative differentiation of AM and OKC, while our proposed OCL-Net may facilitate the future development of a fully automated diagnostic system and provide a novel perspective for the differential diagnosis of a broader spectrum of jaw space-occupying lesions.

Topics

Journal Article

Ready to Sharpen Your Edge?

Subscribe to join 11k+ peers who rely on RadAI Slice. Get the essential weekly briefing that empowers you to navigate the future of radiology.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.