Tumors of the mandible and maxilla in children. I. Clinicopathologic Study of 46 Histologically Benign Lesions

A variety of tumor and tumor‐like lesions of the mandible and maxilla occurred in children ranging in age from 3 months to 15 years with a mean of 8 years. The sex distribution and involvement of the mandible and maxilla were essentially equal for the entire series, with some differences in the histologic subgroups. Fibro‐osseous lesions included fibrous dysplasia, ossifying fibroma, and cementifying fibroma, and together with giant‐cell granulomas accounted for 64% of the tumors. The giant‐cell granulomas pursued an unpredictable clinical course but they usually became quiescent in early adult life. Only the ossifying fibroma among the fibro‐osseous lesions was entirely nonaggressive in its course. Other tumors which tended to recur locally were the ameloblastoma, an aggressive fibroblastic lesion, osteoblastoma, osteoma, and the aneurysmal bone cyst. The only death recorded in this study was a child with an extensive fibrous dysplasia of the mandible which recurred on numerous occasions with death finally from pneumonia.