Mandible & maxilla

Benign bone tumors

Fibrous dysplasia



Last author update: 1 January 2004
Last staff update: 23 August 2022

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PubMed Search: Fibrous dysplasia mandible maxilla


Nat Pernick, M.D.
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Cite this page: Pernick N. Fibrous dysplasia. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/mandiblemaxillafibrousdysplasia.html. Accessed September 21st, 2023.
Definition / general
  • Called craniofacial form of fibrous dysplasia if confined to jaw
  • Monostotic, polyostotic or associated with McCune-Albright syndrome
  • May be congenital or hereditary (but differs from cherubism)
  • Starts in childhood, usually diagnosed by age 20 years
McCune-Albright syndrome
  • Due to somatic mutation of c-fos oncogene that causes activation of cAMP pathway
  • Polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, cafe au lait skin pigmentation (large, dark lesions with serpiginous ["coast of Maine"] borders in chest, neck, back), almost exclusively in women
  • Also endocrine abnormalities (precocious puberty, hyperthyroidism, pituitary adenomas that secrete growth hormone primary adrenal hyperplasia)
Symptoms
  • Unilateral painless swelling of mandible or maxilla in men / women ages 25 - 35 years
  • No treatment since growth is self limited and responsive to pubertal hormonal changes
  • Surgical recontouring performed if facial deformity, although may regrow in 25%
Radiology description
  • Ill defined margins
  • Diffusely radiopaque with ground glass image
Microscopic (histologic) description
  • Uniformly distributed C shaped or Chinese figure-like trabeculae of woven / immature bone within proliferating fibroblastic and vascularized stroma
  • Usually no osteoblastic rimming and no / rare osteoclasts
  • Growing collagen (Sharpey's fibers) may form perpendicular to the sites of bone formation but are not essential for diagnosis (Oral Dis 2017;23:697)
Microscopic (histologic) images

Contributed by Kelly Magliocca, D.D.S., M.P.H.
Fibrous dysplasia

Fibrous dysplasia

Fibrous dysplasia Fibrous dysplasia

Fibrous dysplasia

Fibrous dysplasia Fibrous dysplasia

Fibrous dysplasia

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