Peripheral calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor.

Most of the calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumors (CEOT) are central lesions of the jaws, but the CEOT occurs infrequently on the gingiva. A cases of peripheral CEOT arising in the right upper molar gingiva of a 31-year-old Japanese woman is presented. A direct communication between the overlying gingival epithelium and the tumor was found by examination of serial sections. As a result, it was thought that one of the sources of peripheral CEOT might be gingival epithelium with potential proliferative activity.