External resorption presenting as an intracoronal radiolucent lesion in a pre-eruptive tooth.

A large intracoronal radiolucent lesion in an unerupted permanent molar was found during the routine assessment of a young male Caucasian prior to orthodontic treatment. The tooth was extracted. Histological examination indicated the lesion was caused by external resorption. The defect extended widely into the enamel and dentine, and was repaired in part by bone. The pulp chamber was not involved. The aetiology of these lesions is often obscure but in this case it appeared to have originated in the floor of two developmental pits on the occlusal surface of the tooth.