Thirty-eight cases of central giant cell reparative granuloma of the jaws have been reviewed, with respect to predilection for age, sex, and anatomic distribution. An analysis of the variation in microscopic findings was made. The lesion was found to be more frequent in females than in males (68% versus 32%), more prevalent in young persons (74% less than 30 years old, 61% less than 20 years old), and almost twice as frequent in the mandible (66%) as in the maxilla (34%). The majority of the lesions occur in the anterior portion of the jaws, anterior to the first permanent molar. The roentgenographic and histologic features have been evaluated and discussed, with particular reference to differential diagnosis. A comparison between the "central giant cell reparative granuloma of the jaws" and the "benign giant cell tumor" of other bones has indicated that these lesions are similar and probably identical. The differences in age distribution and clinical behavior, often cited as evidence that these processes are dissimilar, are more likely related to the anatomy of the jaws, which permits earlier diagnosis and easier surgical access, than to any essential difference in biologic behavior.