[The maxillo-mandibular desmoid fibroma. Synthesis of knowledge about a rare entity. Apropos of 3 cases]

Three cases of maxillo-mandibular desmoplastic fibroma are added to the 41 cases already described in the literature. A synthesis of the actual knowledge concerning the tumor is presented. The tumor is mainly composed of fibrous tissue with bundles of mature collagen, and can be easily confused with a low grade fibrosarcoma. Most of the patients are caucasian males. It is a young people tumor (0 to 30 years) with a peak between 6 to 15 years. The mandible was involved in 36 cases and the maxilla in 8 cases. The left side was involved in a ratio of 2 to 1 compared to the right side. In the mandible, the tumor was observed most frequently in the body and at the angle of the jaw. Pain or tumefaction were the most prevalent clinical features. The etiology of the tumor is unclear but trauma is often implicated. When the treatment is conservative, recurrences are frequent. The maxillo-mandibular desmoplastic fibroma should be recognized early to avoid local tissue destruction.