The occurrence of areas exhibiting cribriform morphology in odontogenic tumors is not a very frequent finding. This report describes the case of a 22-year-old man who presented with swelling in the left anterior maxilla. An excisional biopsy was performed under local anesthesia. Histopathologically, the lesion consisted of a cystic wall exhibiting an odontogenic epithelium lining composed of oval, angular, and elongated cells forming a cribriform pattern. No recurrence has been detected after 2 years. (Quintessence Int 2008;39:777–781)

Key words: cribriform, cystic wall, maxilla, morphology, odontogenic epithelium, odontogenic tumors