Central Odontogenic Fibroma of the Mandible: A Case Report

TL;DR

A 19-year-old man's facial pain led to the discovery of a rare jaw tumor, highlighting the need for thorough evaluation to avoid misdiagnosis.

Contribution

This case report highlights the diagnostic challenges of central odontogenic fibroma coexisting with temporomandibular joint symptoms.

Findings

A well-defined radiolucent lesion with radiopacity was found around an impacted tooth in the mandible.

Histopathological analysis confirmed the lesion as central odontogenic fibroma.

The case emphasizes the importance of correlating clinical and radiological findings for accurate diagnosis.

Abstract

Central odontogenic fibroma (COF) is a rare neoplasm, diagnostically challenging and critical to evaluate the lesion's clinical, radiographic and histological studies. Hereby we report a 19-year-old male patient with an initial complaint of pain in the left side of his face which on intraoral clinical examination revealed edentulous 47 region and on radiological investigation presented as well defined radiolucent lesion encircling the impacted 47 with a single speck of radiopacity within the radiolucency following which the lesion was excised along with extraction of impacted tooth and diagnosed histopathologically as COF. Although the patient’s primary manifestation was temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), the diagnosis of COF brought attention to the importance of thorough evaluation. This case underscores the diagnostic challenge posed by a mixed presentation involving both COF and overlapping temporomandibular joint-related symptoms, highlighting the need for careful clinical-radiological correlation to avoid misdiagnosis and ensure timely, appropriate management.

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