[Odontogenesis, organogenetic model in teratomas: crown formation].

Using the technique of 3 dimensional reconstruction, the various steps involved in the formation and growth of the crown of a tooth primordium observed in a complex ovarian teratoma have been compared with that occurring in dermoid cysts and in the normal dental system. Inside dermoid cysts, the characteristic form of the tooth is established during the production of the dentine and enamel and the process is often similar to that occurring during normal tooth development. In teratomas, however, organogenesis and morphogenesis take place within a system undergoing multidirectional development. They are dissociated during both the embryonic stage and that of a structural formation. Morphogenesis is the most disturbed and the role of the environment is presumably therefore very important.