• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 2004

Pilomatricoma is a benign soft tissue tumor of hair follicle origin. They occur most commonly in the head and neck region and are usually found in girls during the first two decades of life. Although malignant transformation has been described, it is exceedingly rare. The clinical presentation is typically that of an asymptomatic, superfical, solitary, firm mass that is often accompanied by a reddish-blue discoloration of the overlying skin. Histopathologically pilomatricoma are seen as epithelial islands embedded in a cellular stroma. The epithelial component consist of two main cell types : basaloid cells and ghost cells. Intracellular and stromal calcification is reported in many cases. Diagnosis is usually suspected based on palpation of a superficial, rock-hard mass and confirmed by histopathologic examination. Surgical excision is both curative and the treatment of choice. Recurrence is rare. In this case, the radiographs showed a dense calcification, measuring about 1cm diameter. So simple excision was peformed intraorally, and resultantly the lesion was proved to be a pilomatricoma by histological examination.