RADIOLOGIC FEATURES OF CENTRAL ODONTOGENIC FIBROMA

The central odontogenic fibroma is a rare benign neoplasm that is cons idered to be derived from mesenchymal dental tissue. This study review s and analyzes the radiologic features of 51 cases (5 new cases and 46 from the literature). Central odontogenic fibroma appears in both the mandible and maxilla (55% and 45%, respectively). In the maxilla it h as a tendency to involve the anterior area, whereas in the mandible th e molar and premolar areas are the most prevalent sites. The majority of central odontogenic fibromas are unilocular radiolucent lesions wit h well-defined borders, but they may also appear as multilocular lesio ns and in rare instances may exhibit a mixed radiolucent/radiopaque ap pearance with poorly defined or diffused borders. The great variabilit y in radiologic appearance of the central odontogenic fibroma means th at it shoudl be considered in the differential diagnosis of all radiol ucencies found in the jaws.