OSTEOBLASTOMA IN THE MANDIBLE: A RARE PRESENTATION

Abstract

Osteoblastoma is a rare, benign, bone-forming tumor, characterized by the presence of osteoblasts with active proliferation, larger than 20 mm. The lesion mostly occurs in the second or third decades of life and has a predilection for the posterior mandible of men. This is a report of a 47-year-old indigenous woman exhibiting a large painful solid mass in the vestibular region of the right mandibular body, of unknown evolution time. The radiographic examination showed a large irregular radiopaque mass in the right posterior mandible, superior to the mandibular canal. The excisional biopsy and subsequent histopathologic analysis showed a compact mass of richly cellularized immature bone tissue with prominent osteoblastic rimming, containing loose connective tissue inside medullary spaces. Some of the osseous tissue had a blue-bone appearance. The diagnosis was osteoblastoma. The patient is being carefully monitored, and there is no recurrence after 2 years’ of follow-up. Osteoblastoma is a rare, benign, bone-forming tumor, characterized by the presence of osteoblasts with active proliferation, larger than 20 mm. The lesion mostly occurs in the second or third decades of life and has a predilection for the posterior mandible of men. This is a report of a 47-year-old indigenous woman exhibiting a large painful solid mass in the vestibular region of the right mandibular body, of unknown evolution time. The radiographic examination showed a large irregular radiopaque mass in the right posterior mandible, superior to the mandibular canal. The excisional biopsy and subsequent histopathologic analysis showed a compact mass of richly cellularized immature bone tissue with prominent osteoblastic rimming, containing loose connective tissue inside medullary spaces. Some of the osseous tissue had a blue-bone appearance. The diagnosis was osteoblastoma. The patient is being carefully monitored, and there is no recurrence after 2 years’ of follow-up.