The central odontogenic fibroma. Clinical and morphologic studies.

The clinical, pathologic, and ultrastructural features and pertinent case history of an 11-year-old boy with a rare benign odontogenic neoplasm, the central odontogenic fibroma, are presented. A review of the literature reveals seven other lesions with clinical and pathologic findings similar to those of this case. This study supports the concept that the central odontogenic fibroma is a distinct odontogenic neoplasm of bone which occurs most commonly in the mandible as a multilocular, radiolucent, and slowly growing expansile lesion with no tendency to recur after surgical enucleation. The ultrastructural findings indicate that the central odontogenic fibroma and the odontogenic myxoma share many common morphologic features and have an apparently similar histogenesis.