Juvenile ossifying fibroma. Case report with diagnostic and therapeutic considerations

BACKGROUND: Fibro-osseous lesions of the jaws, including juvenile ossifying fibroma, pose diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties due to their clinical, radiological and histological variability. CASE REPORT: The case of an 8-year-old girl with a juvenile ossifying fibroma of the mandible is presented. Extirpation of the tumor and filling of the defect with cancellous bone was performed. After 9 months, a recurrence occurred which made a second extirpation of the tumor necessary. This was done without osteoplasty. After a 2-year follow-up the patient is free of tumor. DISCUSSION: Different classifications for fibro-osseous lesions of the jaws can be found in the literature. This makes a correct diagnosis and standardized treatment difficult. Based on the case presented here, the histological features of juvenile ossifying fibroma and the differentiation from osteosarcoma are discussed. At present, conservative surgical treatment seems to be adequate for these tumors.