| Domain | Characteristic | Key details / values | Evidence citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHO / disease category | Core disease definition | Benign epithelial odontogenic tumor of jaw origin; locally aggressive, slow-growing, recurrent, and rarely metastasizing | (pqac-00000000, pqac-00000007, pqac-00000008) |
| WHO classification | 2017 WHO types | Ameloblastoma; unicystic ameloblastoma; extraosseous/peripheral ameloblastoma; metastasizing ameloblastoma | (pqac-00000000) |
| WHO classification | 2022 WHO types | Conventional ameloblastoma; unicystic ameloblastoma; extraosseous/peripheral ameloblastoma; adenoid ameloblastoma; metastasizing ameloblastoma | (pqac-00000001, pqac-00000002, pqac-00000012) |
| WHO classification | Conventional ameloblastoma | Most common type; previously called solid/multicystic; usually mandibular; histologic patterns include follicular, plexiform, acanthomatous, and desmoplastic | (pqac-00000007, pqac-00000012) |
| WHO classification | Unicystic ameloblastoma | Approx. 5%–22% of all ameloblastomas; younger patients; luminal, intraluminal, and mural variants discussed in modern classification/treatment planning | (pqac-00000007, pqac-00000012) |
| WHO classification | Peripheral / extraosseous ameloblastoma | Rare soft-tissue variant overlying jaws; generally less aggressive than intraosseous forms | (pqac-00000007) |
| WHO classification | Metastasizing ameloblastoma | Rare; classified as benign despite metastatic potential because histology resembles benign ameloblastoma | (pqac-00000000, pqac-00000013) |
| WHO classification | Adenoid ameloblastoma | Newly recognized benign epithelial odontogenic tumor in WHO 2022 classification | (pqac-00000001, pqac-00000002) |
| Epidemiology | Global incidence | Pooled incidence rate 0.92 per million person-years (95% CI 0.57–1.49) | (pqac-00000006) |
| Epidemiology | Alternative incidence statement in review literature | Global incidence summarized as about 0.92 per 1,000,000 people/year | (pqac-00000008) |
| Epidemiology | Age distribution | Mean age 34 years; peak incidence in third decade of life | (pqac-00000006) |
| Epidemiology | Sex distribution | Slight male predominance: 53% male overall; male:female ratio about 1.14:1 in umbrella review | (pqac-00000006, pqac-00000007) |
| Epidemiology | Anatomic distribution | Mandible is preferred site; about 80% mandibular in several reviews/case literature | (pqac-00000003, pqac-00000012) |
| Epidemiology | Site-specific pattern | Maxillary tumors are less common; mandible:maxilla ratio reported as 1.96:1 for metastasizing ameloblastoma | (pqac-00000013) |
| Clinical phenotype | Common presentation | Painless jaw swelling/expansion, facial asymmetry, tooth displacement or mobility, pain/paresthesia in larger lesions | (pqac-00000004, pqac-00000007, pqac-00000012) |
| Imaging / phenotype | Typical radiology | Unilocular or multilocular radiolucency; classic “soap-bubble” or “honeycomb” appearance; may mimic dentigerous cyst | (pqac-00000007, pqac-00000012) |
| Histopathology | Common patterns | Follicular and plexiform are the most frequent histopathologic patterns globally | (pqac-00000006) |
| Histopathology | Additional variants | Acanthomatous, granular cell, basal cell, keratopapillary, and desmoplastic patterns/variants described | (pqac-00000000) |
| Molecular genetics | Major pathway theme | Ameloblastoma is largely driven by MAPK pathway alterations; Hedgehog pathway also important in a subset | (pqac-00000004, pqac-00000008, pqac-00000014) |
| Molecular genetics | BRAF V600E pooled prevalence | 70.49% pooled prevalence across 833 cases in meta-analysis | (pqac-00000004) |
| Molecular genetics | BRAF V600E frequency range in reviews | Often summarized as 40%–80% or ~66% depending on cohort/review | (pqac-00000003, pqac-00000009) |
| Molecular genetics | BRAF clinicopathologic associations | Significant association with patients younger than 54 years and mandibular location; not significant for sex, histologic variants, or recurrence in one meta-analysis | (pqac-00000004) |
| Molecular genetics | Other MAPK-pathway genes | FGFR2, KRAS, NRAS, HRAS and less commonly PIK3CA identified as drivers in cell-line/genomic studies | (pqac-00000014) |
| Molecular genetics | Hedgehog-pathway genes | SMO activating mutations, especially SMO-L412F and less commonly SMO-W535L; more typical of maxillary tumors | (pqac-00000004, pqac-00000014) |
| Molecular genetics | Wnt-related findings | Upregulation of migration-related Wnt pathway genes described in a metastasizing/amplified aggressive case | (pqac-00000013) |
| Molecular profiling | Bioinformatic transcriptomic findings | 611 differentially expressed genes; glycosaminoglycan signaling upregulated, GABA signaling downregulated; FOS highlighted as hub/target candidate | (pqac-00000010) |
| Pathobiology | Origin / tissue of origin | Thought to arise from residual odontogenic epithelium including dental lamina rests, enamel organ, odontogenic cyst lining, or basal oral mucosal cells | (pqac-00000006, pqac-00000012, pqac-00000014) |
| Treatment outcomes | Radical vs conservative treatment | Meta-analytic umbrella review found recurrence about three-times more likely with conservative treatment than radical treatment | (pqac-00000007) |
| Treatment outcomes | Overall recurrence after surgery | Review of targeted-therapy paper summarizes recurrence varying from 11% after radical surgery to 65% after conservative treatment | (pqac-00000008) |
| Treatment outcomes | Conservative treatment tradeoff | Better postoperative quality of life, esthetic, and functional outcomes in smaller lesions/younger patients, but higher recurrence risk and need for closer follow-up | (pqac-00000007) |
| Precision therapy | BRAF/MEK targeted therapy evidence | Systematic review of 23 patients: nearly all had positive response; 4 achieved complete radiologic remission; toxicities mostly mild-to-moderate | (pqac-00000008) |
| Precision therapy | Published BRAF inhibitor case literature | Review of 9 reported patients treated with dabrafenib/vemurafenib ± trametinib showed responses from tumor reduction to complete response; evidence still limited to case reports | (pqac-00000009) |
| Quality of life | Surgical morbidity burden | Radical surgery can cause major cosmetic, functional, and psychosocial morbidity; this drives interest in targeted neoadjuvant and organ-preserving approaches | (pqac-00000003, pqac-00000008, pqac-00000011) |


*Table: This table compiles the main disease-characteristic domains for ameloblastoma, including WHO classification, epidemiology, molecular genetics, pathology, and recurrence/treatment outcomes. It is useful as a compact evidence map for populating a disease knowledge base with quantitative values and current classification terminology.*