Abstract
This study aims to characterize the histomorphology of mixed odontogenic tumors, using mathematical morphology algorithms applied to digital images. Five cases of primordial odontogenic tumor (POT), 5 cases of ameloblastic fibroma, 5 cases of developing odontoma (DO), and 5 cases of tooth germs (TG) were analyzed. Histological sections stained with Haematoxylin & Eosin were digitized and the epithelial compartments were segmented into ‘virtual cells’ to further characterize the tissue compartment architecture. A comparison of the mean area of virtual epithelial cells in the entities investigated showed that, despite data distribution between the entities being similar, statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) were found, being larger for DO and smaller for AF. Additionally, DO exhibits a broader data distribution of the area compared to the other entities. Significant differences were not found between TG and POT without subepithelial condensation. Quantitative tissue analysis showed that, in focal areas, POT more closely resembles TG than other mixed odontogenic tumors. These findings suggest that virtual cell–based morphometric analysis may provide complementary quantitative information in diagnostically challenging cases, although validation in larger datasets is required.
Data availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. All datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are stored in a secure repository and comply with applicable privacy regulations.
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V.P.P, G.L and R.B: M Participation in the design of the work, experimental development, sample collection, interpretation of results, manuscript writingE.S, F.M.S, L,F, S Statistical analysis, interpretation of results and writing of the manuscript.K.H, V.M.T, R.S.G, S.N Conceptualization, discussion of results and final drafting of the manuscript.
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This study was ethically approved by the Ethics Committee of Universidad de la República, Uruguay (21/11/19, Exp. No. 091900-000319-19). All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations, including the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants and/or their legal guardians for the use of tissue samples for research purposes.
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Pereira-Prado, V., Sicco, E., Silveira, F.M. et al. Algorithmic analysis of the structure of mixed odontogenic tumors. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38399-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38399-6
