Variants of the adenomatoid odontogenic tumor with a note on tumor origin.

Three rare variants of the adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT) are described. A follicular AOT associated with an impacted and displaced 28, an extra-follicular variant mimicking a radicular cyst around the apex of 23 and a peripheral (epulis-like) variant exhibiting a periodontal bone defect palatal to 21. On reappraisal of the origin and pathogenesis of the AOT, it would seem that this tumor or hamartomatous lesion is derived from odontogenic epithelium of the dental lamina complex or its remnants.