Peripheral Odontogenic Fibroma (Epulis) is the most common oral mass found in dogs.  Epulis, ossifying epulis, fibromatous epulis and fibroosseous epulis are all terms that have been used in the past.  Peripheral Odontogenic Fibroma is the preferred name of a mass in the oral cavity of a dog that is derived from the periodontal ligament cells that hold the tooth in the socket.  Treatment involves removal of the mass, the associated tooth and any bone that is involved. Curettage of the alveolus (tooth socket) is required to remove all remaining periodontal ligament cells to ensure complete removal and eliminate the possibility of recurrence.

Buddy and family with Dr. Beckman at Orlando Veterinary Dentistry

An incision is made to  ensure all of the peripheral odontogenic fibroma is removed.  Wide margins are not needed however no abnormal tissue should be left following excision.  The teeth associated with the mass are extracted and the bone excised.  Any remaining tooth socket (alveolus) is contoured with a diamond bur to remove any remaining periodontal ligament fibers.

The excision and extraction site are closed with 4-0 monocryl.  Recurrence is not expected.

Buddy is discharged within an hour of the procedure, happy as you see here!

Peripheral odontogenic fibromas are benign and do not metastasize.  If left untreated they can become extremely large.  In cases where treatment is delayed trauma from teeth and infection of the mass can result.  In some cases partial mandibulectomy is required to completely excise the mass and eliminate the trauma.

The above two images are peripheral odontogenic fibromas in the same patient that required maxillectomy.  Here are links to this post and another similar post.

Maxillectomy in a Basset Hound

Maxillectomy in a Patient in Atlanta

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Tiki Tiger

Atlanta Veterinary Dentistry with Dr. Beckman  and Annie Mills simply blew me away.  From the minute we walked in the door we knew our cat Tiki was in good hands.  The aroma of a scented candle filled the room and beautiful art work of nature and animals added to the feeling of zen and calm I felt inside.  

Tana

Annie greated us warmly and took us into a lovely room filled with southwestern decor to wait for Dr. Beckman.  And when he walked in the door his smile radiated with warmth and compassion.  He told us the options for Tiki’s chipped tooth and answered any questions we had.  It took less than two hours to perform the root canal and the price was even less than first estimated.  

Tiki and Tana at the Beach

Tiki came through with flying colors and was a hit with all the staff.  We  recommend this practice highly and could not have been more impressed with the service.  It’s an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10.

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Oral Tumors in a Cat in Southwest Florida. This 2 1/2 year old female cat presented with multiple oral masses.

Multiple biopsies were taken.A pathologist with special interest in oral pathology from Colorado State University reviewed the findings and images. The final diagnosis was multifocal oral fibrosarcoma.

Reports of management of mutifocal FSA do not exist in the veterinary literature. Immediate palliation of discomfort and elimination of trauma to the masses was recommended. Excision of the masses, extraction of associated teeth and contour of adjacent bone was the chosen conservative treatment.

These images were taken 18 months postoperatively.  The owner reports no recurrence at two years postop.  Although fibrosarcoma represents the second most common malignant oral tumor in cats, a search of reports of multifocal oral fibrosarcoma in cats revealed no findings.

It is interesting to note that the clinical outcome did not fit the histopathological diagnosis, so other possibilities might include multiple epulides in the cat as described below.

Multiple Epulides in 13 Cats

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