Odontogenic myxoma: review of the literature and report of 30 cases from South Africa

Objective: The purpose of the study was to analyze the clinical and radiographic features of central odontogenic myxomas (OM) of the jaws diagnosed over 23 years in a black South African patient sample. Study design: Records of 30 cases of OMs with radiographs of diagnostic quality were retrieved from 52 cases of histopathologically verified OMs from the archives of the Oral Health Center at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. The age, sex, size, location, and radiographic features were compared with the literature. Results: The study consisted of 21 females and 9 males. The correlation between age and size of the tumor was found to be statistically significant (P = .004). Septa were shown to be either reorientated cortical bone or sheets of dense fibrous connective tissue. Indistinct borders mimicked malignancy. The most common radiographic feature was the tennis-racket appearance. Conclusions: Variations in radiographic presentation make a radiological differential interpretation of OM challenging because the radiographic features overlap with those of other benign and malignant neoplasms.