[Tumors and the histogenesis of Schwann cells of maxillofacial competence].

After a brief review of published data relating to the clinical and anatomicopathological characteristics and therapeutic problems of tumours deriving from the nerve sheaths of the oromaxillofacial area, the paper reports 13 cases of these neoplasias observed from 1975 to 1988 in the maxillofacial surgery ward of the Dentistry Clinic at the University of Turin. The group include 6 schwannomas (neurinomas), 6 neurofibromas and 1 malignant schwannoma. Clinical symptoms and methods of diagnosis are described.