Bone-Related Lesions of the Jaws

The jaws combine several unique properties that mainly result from their distinct embryonic development and their role in providing anchorage for the teeth and their supporting structures. As a consequence, several bone-related lesions almost exclusively develop in the jaws (eg, osseous dysplasias, ossifying fibromas), have distinct clinical features (eg, osteosarcoma), or hardly ever occur at this location (eg, osteochondroma, enchondroma). The specific characteristics of these tumors and tumorlike lesions are outlined in this article.