Abstract

CAUBI, Antônio de Figueiredo et al. Osteoma of the mandible: when to treat it surgically. Rev. cir. traumatol. buco-maxilo-fac. [online]. 2013, vol.13, n.1, pp. 53-58. ISSN 1808-5210.

Osteomas are benign tumours which develop from mature compact or cancellous bone. They are normally detected in the maxillofacial region and rarely in other bones. The most common sites of occurrence are the mandible (angle, condyle and inferior edge region) and the paranasal sinuses. They affect both sexes equally and their prevalence is greater in young adults, their origin being associated with congenital anomalies, chronic inflammation, muscle activity, embryonic disorders and trauma. This paper reports the case of a young man who complained of swelling in the right submandibular region with nine months' progression. He complained of pain when performing lateral flexion and rotation of the head to both sides. A CT scan of the face showed an oval-shaped hyperdense image and an uneven surface adjacent to the cortical bone of the right mandibular body. With a hypothetical diagnosis of osteoma, the patient underwent surgery under general anesthesia for the excision of the lesion. After the specimen was sent for analysis, the histopathological report confirmed the diagnosis of a compact osteoma. By the fourteenth postoperative day the patient no longer felt any pain on cervical spine movement.

Keywords : Osteoma; Osteoma; Osteoid; Osteoblastoma.