title: Aggressive multilocular osteoblastoma in the mandible: a rare and difficult case to diagnose.
abstract: Osteoblastoma is a benign neoplasia and is uncommon in the jaws. In some cases, this lesion presents extremely aggressive local characteristics and is termed aggressive osteoblastoma. Because the clinical, radiographic and histopathologic characteristics are similar to those of a variety of benign and malignant tumors, it poses a diagnostic dilemma. This report presents a case of an aggressive osteoblastoma in the mandible and discusses the differential diagnosis of this lesion. A 13-year-old white male sought the Stomatology Clinic at the State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil, complaining of asymptomatic swelling on the left side of his face. Cone-beam computerized tomography showed a multilocular, hypodense bone lesion, located in the body of the left mandible and lower third of the ascending ramus. The initial diagnostic hypothesis was juvenile ossifying fibroma or osteosarcoma. After histopathologic examination, the final diagnosis was aggressive osteoblastoma. Surgical resection with a safety margin was performed. There was no evidence of recurrence after a follow-up period of 4 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Clinical Dentistry, Health Science Center, UFPE - Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Luiza Anjos
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Pontual
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Clinical Dentistry, Health Science Center, UFPE - Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andréa Anjos
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Pontual
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Clinical Dentistry, Health Science Center, UFPE - Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael Grotta
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Grempel
authors.affiliation: Unipê, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leonardo Rocha Mendes
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.affiliation: UFRN - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio de Lisboa Lopes
authors.initials: Ade L
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo Pina
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Godoy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018214:Fibroma, Ossifying / Q000175:diagnosis; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008339:Mandibular Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D063175:Mandibular Reconstruction / Q000379:methods; D018215:Osteoblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis