What the study found
A 5-year-old boy had a rare benign odontogenic tumour called odontogenic myxoma in the mandible (lower jaw) that presented mainly as long-standing trismus, meaning limited mouth opening. After removal of the tumour, the jaw bone regenerated well, but the mouth-opening problem persisted.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that this case shows paediatric mandibular odontogenic myxoma can present primarily with trismus rather than the more usual painless jaw swelling. They also state that prolonged, progressive trismus in a child should be treated as a red-flag symptom that warrants prompt imaging and specialist evaluation.
What the researchers tested
This is a case report of one child. The boy had imaging with an orthopantomogram, a panoramic dental X-ray, and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), followed by biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. He was then treated with enucleation and curettage, which means surgical removal of the lesion and scraping of the area.
What worked and what didn't
The imaging showed a multilocular radiolucent lesion in the left mandibular body and ramus with medial cortical perforation and close relation to the medial pterygoid muscle. Surgery preserved mandibular continuity but required sacrificing the inferior alveolar nerve. At 1-year follow-up, there was good radiographic bone regeneration and no evidence of recurrence, but mouth opening remained severely limited despite physiotherapy and jaw-stretching exercises.
What to keep in mind
This summary describes a single case, so it cannot show how often this presentation occurs or how well the treatment works in other children. The abstract does not describe additional limitations beyond the persistent functional impairment after tumour removal.
Key points
- A 5-year-old boy’s odontogenic myxoma in the lower jaw presented mainly as long-standing trismus.
- Imaging showed a multilocular radiolucent lesion in the left mandibular body and ramus with cortical perforation.
- Biopsy confirmed odontogenic myxoma, and the lesion was treated with enucleation and curettage.
- At 1-year follow-up, bone regeneration was good and there was no recurrence, but mouth opening remained severely limited.
- The authors say prolonged, progressive trismus in a child should prompt imaging and specialist evaluation.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Childhood mandibular myxoma presented with persistent trismus
- Authors:
- Ruben Poelaert, Sien Van Roy, Taco A. van der Meulen, Olivier Lenssen, Marieke T. Brands
- Institutions:
- State Archives of Belgium
- Publication date:
- 2026-03-07
- OpenAlex record:
- View
Get the weekly research newsletter
Stay current with peer-reviewed research without reading academic papers — one filtered digest, every Friday.