Juvenile ossifying fibroma diagnosed on fine needle aspiration cytology: a diagnostic challenge

Preoperative diagnosis of jaw lesions is not always possible on the basis of clinico-radiological findings alone and needs to be confirmed before attempting any surgical intervention. Fibro-osseous lesions of the jaw comprise a spectrum of diseases which include cement-osseous dysplasia, fibrous dysplasia, and ossifying fibroma. The cytomorphological distinction between these individual entities is difficult. We present a case of maxillary fibro-osseous lesion in an adolescent girl diagnosed and categorized as juvenile ossifying fibroma preoperatively on cytology and confirmed on histopathology. Although aspirates are usually paucicellular in fibro-osseous lesions, certain cytological features if present in cellular cytosmears can offer further categorization and a definitive diagnosis may be possible in light of clinico-radiological correlation.