Abstract
In the oral cavity, extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can occur in the periapical region either in the maxilla or mandible. Also, it can mimic inflammatory lesions that arise around the teeth apices such as periapical granuloma, radicular cyst and osteomyelitis. Misdiagnosis of lymphomas in the jaws may reduce the chance of successful treatment and worsen the prognosis. Therefore, any growth of periapical tissue must be submitted for histopathological evaluation to avoid a delay in the diagnosis. We present a case of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of a 53-year-old male in the right posterior mandible that was initially misdiagnosed as a reactive periapical lesion. This case illustrates the importance for both the pathologist and the clinician of considering malignant lesions such as lymphoma in the differential diagnosis of periapical radiolucency.