Large Peripheral Osteomas and Dental Implants: A Case Report

Abstract

Peripheral osteoma of the jaw is a rare, benign, slow-growing lesion, which usually appears as a unilateral, pedunculated, radiopaque mass protruding from the periphery and is generally solitary. Multiple osteomas without any syndromic involvement are rare. In the present case, a 75-year-old male patient underwent implant placement in the edentulous posterior ridges of the maxilla and mandible. Over 7 years, multiple masses gradually proliferated in the buccal bone of the implant in three different sextants of the posterior region, reaching a size of 2.0 cm. Clinically and radiologically, these lesions were presumed to be peripheral osteomas and were surgically removed because the large mass made self-performed oral hygiene and maintenance of peri-implant health difficult. The histopathological evaluation confirmed that peripheral osteomas were both compact and cancellous. The patient did not exhibit any other clinical manifestations of Gardner syndrome. Whether dental implant placement and loading are involved in the occurrence of peripheral osteomas is unclear, but they might have affected the consistent growth of the mass as a reactive mechanism. After resection, the functional abilities of chewing and self-cleansing significantly improved. No recurrence of peripheral osteoma was observed after 1 year of follow-up, and peri-implant health was well maintained. Within the limitations of the present case report, multiple peripheral osteomas can occur adjacent to dental implants without any syndromic issues, and a large mass of PO can harm peri-implant health which requires surgical removal. It is speculated that dental implants may be associated with the slow and consistent growth of PO.