Ossifying fibroma of the upper jaw: report of a case and review of the literature.

Abstract

A number of processes generically referred to as benign fibroosseous lesions comprise different disorders such as fibrous dysplasia, sclerotizing osteomyelitis and ossifying or cementing fibroma. These processes are all characterized by the existence of a vascular fibroblastic stroma, with the production of a calcified matrix ranging from bone to cementum. Ossifying fibroma involves slow-evolving growth with deforming swelling generally arising in the mandible, with possible early dental displacement. From the radiological perspective the disorder generally manifests as a well defined and delimited, unilocular radiotransparency, as a radiotransparent image with central opacifications, or as multilocular transparencies. The lesions exceptionally can be radiopaque. We present the case of a 22-year-old male presenting for evaluation of a three-month, asymptomatic tumor mass in the anterior sector of the upper jaw. Radiologically, the lesion appeared as a radiotransparent zone surrounded by a poorly delimited sclerotic halo. The definitive diagnosis following surgical resection of the lesion was ossifying fibroma. The case is discussed, and a review is provided of the literature on the subject.