Case of Mandibular Osteoma Suspected to Have Occurred after Trauma

Abstract

　　Osteomas are benign bone tumors typically found on or inside bones, commonly in the skull region (e.g., frontal and temporal bones). Although trauma has been described as one of the causes of osteoma, evidence of trauma history is not clear in most cases. We report the details of a patient with mandibular osteoma that arose after trauma. One year prior to presentation, a 9-year-old girl suffered from a jaw laceration with bone exposure, and she underwent suturing of the laceration. Six months later, a hard mass began to grow under the laceration scar. Computed tomography showed a bony protrusion in the mandible, leading to a diagnosis of osteoma. The lesion was surgically resected under general anesthesia. Pathology confirmed the lesion as a peripheral osteoma of the cancellous type in the mandible. There had been no recurrence as of 1 year post-surgery. This case is rare for two reasons: the clear history of trauma, and tumor occurring in the mandible. Since the tumor developed precisely where the trauma affected the patient’s bone, the trauma may have played a role in the osteoma development.