Application of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of odontogenic lesions: a systematic review

Objectives: This systematic literature review addresses the use of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for the evaluation of benign maxillomandibular odontogenic lesions. Study Design: Databases were searched, and original research studies or case report manuscripts up to April 2019 were included, using the keyword “diffusion,” combined with the keywords “maxillofacial pathology,” “oral pathology,” “odontogenic tumors,” “dental tissue neoplasms,” “odontogenic cysts,” and the histologic denomination of benign odontogenic lesions, according to the World Health Organization classification. Only English language articles and studies pertaining to DWI were selected. Results: Fifteen investigations (11 original articles and 4 case reports) of distinct benign odontogenic lesions were included. Most studies did not include exclusively odontogenic lesions in their samples. Conclusions: It is too early to reach a conclusion that DWI and ADC can provide useful information in the differentiation of the histologic type of some benign odontogenic lesions on the basis of available data in the literature.