originate from epithelium, ectomesenchyme or both. Varying degrees of inductive interaction between these embryonic components of the developing tooth
germ exist. Nestin is one of the intermediate filaments constituting the cytoskeleton and is known as a marker of neural stem cells or progenitor cells. Human
Nestin expression continues during tooth development and disappears when development is complete.
Aim of the work: To study the expression of Nestin in different odontogenic tumors, and to highlight the incidence of odontogenic tumors in the Faculty of dentistry,
Alexandria University, Egypt in the past 10 years.
Material and Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 22 surgical specimens of odontogenic tumors and one control specimen
from normal tooth germ.Immunohistochemical staining was performed using a Labeled Strept-Avidin Biotin complex method (LSAB).
Results:Almost all the ameloblastomas were negative for Nestin while all cases of odontogenic fibromyxoma , myxoma and odontogenic fibroma
showed intense brownish cytoplasmic reaction in both the ectomesenchymal cells and the odontogenic epithelial rests. Ameloblastic fibroma and
ameloblastic fibro-odontom cases showed immunopositivity of Nestin in the ameloblast like cells and stellate reticulum like cells as well as the
stromal cells. Calcific structures such as dentinoid as well as hamartomatous lesions mainly odontomes were completely negative for Nestin. The
results of the statistical analysis revealed higher prevalence of keratocystic odontogenic tumor followed by ameloblastoma.
Conclusion:Nestin is expressed in some odontogenic tumors in which the ectomesenchyme of the neural crest origin, constituting a part of their
proliferated tissue. In the statistical analysis which was done in this study,there was statistical difference regarding types.