Odontogenic myxoma: a clinicopathological study of 33 cases

Odontogenic myxoma, a rare tumour that occurs in the jaws, has been reported to be the second commonest odontogenic tumour in many countries. Few studies, however, provide detailed clinicopathological findings of a large series of cases and no study so far has attempted to calculate the incidence of this condition. Retrospective and prospective studies were carried out in Tanzania from 1982 to 1998 (16 years) and 1999 to 2002 (4 years), respectively. A total of 33 cases of myxomas were found with a male:female ratio of 1:1.83. Most of the tumours were located in the mandible compared to the maxilla and were predominantly multilocular. Pain, diasthesia, ulceration, invasion of the soft tissues and tooth mobility were among the symptoms that patients presented with although the majority had no clinical signs or symptoms. Based on the prospective study only, an annual incidence of 0.07 per million can be ascertained. Late reporting was a common feature in this group of patients. Radical surgery with resection of the tumour with a safe margin is advocated.