Radiographic evaluation on prevalence of Stafne bone defect: a study from two centres in Turkey

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of Stafne bone defect (SBD) and to describe the clinical and radiological characteristics of detected cases. Methods: A retrospective study was performed using panoramic radiographs from 34 221 patients undergoing dental treatment in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology at Erciyes University and Ataturk University, Turkey. After finding an image compatible with SBD in the radiographs, multislice CT (MSCT) on seven patients and cone beam CT (CBCT) on six patients were performed to confirm the diagnosis. Results: Of the 34 221 patients, 29 (0.08 %) had SBDs, of whom 4 were female (13.8%) and 25 were male (86.2 %). The age range of patients with SBD was 18-77 years (mean age 49.6 years). SBD was found in the lingual molar region in 28 patients and in the lingual caninepremolar region of the mandible in 1 patient. The contour of the concavities on CT images (MSCT and CBCT) was detected. The MSCT revealed glandular tissue within the defects. Conclusions: According to our results, SBD is an uncommon anomaly. Examination of MSCT images supports the presence of aberrant submandibular glands within these mandibular defects, suggesting that pressure from submandibular gland tissue had caused the SBD, as generally thought. Both CBCT and MSCT can provide adequate support for the detection of SBDs. The CBCT could be suggested as the most suitable non-invasive diagnostic modality for this bony configuration of the mandible since it provides a lower radiation exposure dose than MSCT. Dentomaxillofacial Radiology (2012) 41, 152-158. doi: 10.1259/dmfr/10586700 Keywords: bone cyst; computer-assisted three-dimensional imaging; panoramic radiography; cone beam computed tomography; salivary glands Introduction Stafne bone defect (SBD) was first described by Stafne in 1942, who reported 35 asymptomatic unilateral radiolucent cavities in the posterior region of the mandible. Lesions were located between the mandibular angle and the third molar, below the inferior dental canal and above the mandibular base. 1 Many other terms have been used to describe this entity, including aberrant or ectopic salivary gland; static, latent or idiopathic defect, cavity or cyst; mandibular salivary gland inclusion; lingual mandibular bone cavity, concavity or depression; and Stafne cyst, defect or cavity. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] The posterior lingual variant has an incidence of between 0.10% and 0.48% when diagnosed radiologically. However, some cadaver studies have revealed that the incidence of the lesion may be as high as 6.06%. The age range is quite wide, although there is a clear predilection for males in the fifth or sixth decade. 3,6,9 When the term SBD is found in the literature, it usually refers to the posterior lingual variant. The anterior lingual variant is seven times less frequent than the posterior and is usually located between the incisor and the premolar areas, above the insertion of the mylohyoid muscle. 2,11When reviewing the literature regar...

Lingual Cortical Mandibular Bone Depression: Frequency and Clinical-Radiological Features in a Brazilian Population

“…As expected, studies focusing the observation of the defect in dried mandibles have found higher values, ranging from 0.79 to 1.3% (6,21,22) ( Table 2). Frequency of LCMBD in routine panoramic radiographs in the present study (0.07%) was similar to the results of Sisman et al (20) and slightly lower than the other values reported in the literature, a feature that can be associated with different diagnostic criteria and/or truly geographic and population differences. …”

“…LCMBD predominantly affects adults in the 5th to 6th decades of life, with a predilection for men (2,9,13,14,16,(18)(19)(20)23), in accordance with the results of the present study. Previous studies have reported a higher prevalence of the lingual posterior variant (from the angle of the mandible to the first molar) (1)(2)(3)20), and this region was affected in 18 out of the reviewed 20 cases. The other two cases affected the anterior lingual region (anterior to premolars) and no case affecting the lingual/vestibular regions of the ascending ramus was found.…”

“…Studies using panoramic radiograph analysis show prevalence ranging from 0.08 to 0.48% (2,13,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). As expected, studies focusing the observation of the defect in dried mandibles have found higher values, ranging from 0.79 to 1.3% (6,21,22) ( Table 2).…”

Stafne's Defect: Diagnosis with Cone Beam Computed Tomography: Case Report

“…Other studies have also used the cone beam computed tomography to aid in the diagnosis of Stafne's Bone Defect (3,4,6,9).…”

“…The posterior variation is more commonly known and appears as radiolucent, delimited and well-defined image in the posterior region of the mandible, between the first molar and the angle of the mandible, below the mandibular canal (2,4). The anterior variant is 7 times less frequent than the posterior, and usually located in the region between the incisors and premolars, above the insertion of the mylohyoid muscle (5,6). …”