Non‐ossifying fibroma of the mandible: a case report and review of the literature

The case reported here is a large non-ossifying fibroma (NOF) of the mandible presenting in a 24-year-old male patient. The lesion was diagnosed through radiological and histopathological assessment. It remains under observation without surgical intervention, despite its large size, as the extensive surgery to remove it is not currently justifiable. Whilst common at the metaphysis of the long bones in paediatric patients, NOFs are rarely observed in the jaw bones. These benign fibrous lesions are often asymptomatic and may be an incidental radiological finding. Most NOFs of the limbs presenting in children will not require any treatment, and spontaneously resolve when growth ceases. However, regarding mandibular lesions, the majority of historical cases have been successfully treated with curettage and do not recur. Due to their scarcity, the outcomes for untreated NOFs of the gnathic bones are not reliably known. We discuss the clinical, radiological and histopathological findings for this case. A thorough literature review of previous reports of this rare entity reveals the typical characteristics and behaviour of this lesion.