Intraosseous benign neural sheath neoplasms of the jaws. Report of seven new cases and review of the literature.

Benign neural sheath neoplasms occurring centrally within the jaws are most uncommon. Our search of the English-language literature revealed twenty-eight previously reported cases. Seven additional cases--five neurofibromas and two neurilemmomas--are newly described here. Most cases have not been associated with multiple neurofibromatosis. These tumors occur predominantly in females, in patients under 45 years of age, and in the posterior mandible. The tumors generally present as asymptomatic radiolucencies, but some are associated with pain and/or swelling. Neurofibromas tend to recur more often than neurilemmomas when treated by conservative local excision.