Ameloblastoma is characterized by an unencapsulated growth of epithelial nests and sheets, arranged around a central zone of loosely spaced cells

resembling the stellate reticulum of the enamel organ. The epithelial cells are columnar or cuboidal cells with small bland nuclei polarized away from the basement membrane. A condition of unerupted third molar is usually considered as the source of the ameloblastoma, whether the tumor developed since the odontogenesis happened or arise from the dentigerous cyst before transformed into a real ameloblastoma. (Barnes, 2009) Since 1925, many had reported the development of ameloblastoma within the walls of odontogenic cysts and the most commonly cited was the dentigerous cyst. There have been many reports of ameloblastomas apparently arising from the epithelium of what initially was considered an odontogenic cyst. Numerous clinical reports have attempted to show such an association in dentigerous cysts, and some authors believe that approximately 20% of ameloblastoma arise in dentigerous cysts. (Piattelli et al., 2006) As the dentigerous cyst completely formed the wall (which has the epithelium line part) and the lumen of cyst, it might get the secondary chronic infection. The infection, which came from the outside of the body, started to invade the epithelium lining of the cyst. As a response to the infection, dense inflammatory cell infiltrate where the stellate-reticulum like epithelium was a result of intercellular oedema arising from the presence of chronic inflammation in the area. The epithelium became hyperplastic. Because of the constant exposure of the infection, the epithelium started to degenerated, forming the islets of epithelium. This is the forming of central part of the ameloblastoma or the epithelial islets with stellate reticulum like cells in the central of each islet. (Shear and Speight, 2007) Authors had suggested that cases of small islands of ameloblastomatous epithelium within the cystic epithelium of a lesion is surely a transformation from the odontogenic cyst to an ameloblastoma. Thus, the ameloblastoma arises from an odontogenic cyst is now commonly known as the unicystic ameloblastoma. (Masthan et al, 2011)

Sumber : Piattelli A, Iezzi G, Fioroni M, Santinelli A, Rubini C. 2006. Ki-67 expression in dentigerous cysts, unicystic ameloblastomas, and ameloblastomas arising from dental cysts. J of Endodontics 28: 5558. K. M. K. Masthan, S. Rajkumari1, M. Deepasree, N. Aravindha Babu and S. Leena Sankari. 2011. Neoplasms associated with odontogenic cysts. Journal of Dentistry and Oral Hygiene Vol. 3(10), pp.123-130 Shear, Mervyn and Speight,Paul. 2007. Cysts of the Oral and Maxillofacial Regions 4th ed. Oxford : Blackwell. pp 73-75 Barnes, Leon. 2009. Surgical Pathology of the Head and Neck. 3rd ed. New York : Informa Healthcare. Page 69