An atypical odontogenic myxoma

Introduction: Odontogenic myxoma is an uncommon tumor of the jaws, benign but locally invasive. It arises from the mesenchymal portion of the tooth germ. It has a variable non-specific clinical and radiological appearance, and may be confused with other lesions of the jaws.

Case report: A patient aged 50 presented for a periodontal treatment. After routine retroalveolar X-rays, we noted a small limited radiolucency between the left mandibular canine and the left mandibular first premolar. There were no clinical symptoms. Histology after enucleation of the lesion revealed the diagnosis of odontogenic myxoma.

Discussion: Odontogenic myxoma is a relatively rare benign neoplasia. It is locally aggressive, inducing important facial deformation and tooth displacement. The lesion often grows without symptoms and presents as a painless swelling. The radiographic features are variable, it appears as a unilocular or multilocular radiolucency, and the diagnosis is therefore not easy. The case reported is an atypical presentation of odontogenic myxoma because of the small size of the lesion, the radiographic features, and the early detection and management.