Juvenile ossifying fibroma of the maxillofacial region: analysis of clinico-pathological features and management

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis and management of juvenile ossifying fibroma (JOF) remains a highly debated topic with paucity of studies with long-term follow-up, hence the aim of this study was to report on the clinico-pathological features and management of these neoplasms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on all histopathologically confirmed JOF presenting at two tertiary hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa over a period of 39 years. Clinical, demographic, histopathological and radiological features were analyzed. Surgical methods were documented and a minimum post-operative follow-up of 12 months was a prerequisite. RESULTS: Seventeen patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. Overall, the ages of patients ranged from 3–31 years (mean= 13 years) with male to female ratio of 1.8:1. The ages of patients diagnosed with Trabecular JOF were significantly younger than patients with Psammomatoid JOF (P = 0.01). The majority of patients presented with marked swelling (88.2%). Interestingly, most neoplasms occurred in the mandible (76.5%) with all Psammomatoid JOF uncharacteristically occurring in the mandible. There was only one case of Trabecular JOF occurring in the sinonasal area. Most neoplasms appeared as unilocular (76.5%) and well-defined (82.4%) with mixed radio-density (70.6%) on radiographs and computed tomography. Curettage with peripheral ostectomy was shown to be the least invasive method with an accepTable recurrence rate (10%). Six lesions underwent resection without any recurrences however caused high morbidity to these young patients. CONCLUSIONS: The high number of lesions occurring in the mandible for both variants of JOF demonstrates that site should not be a major determining factor in the diagnosis of JOF. Moreover, curettage with peripheral ostectomy should be used as the first line of management to minimize morbidity to the patient and that resection should be reserved for large and recurrent lesions. Key words:Juvenile ossifying fibroma, juvenile trabecular ossifying fibroma, juvenile psammomatoid ossifying fibroma, fibro-osseous lesions, maxillofacial region, multi-centre study.