Study of stafne's defects in Late Neolithic, Late Roman, Medieval and Modern skeletal samples from Portugal

Abstract

Lingual mandibular cortical defects (Stafne's defects) are relatively uncommon in recent as well as past populations, but while this condition is often discussed in clinical reports, they are rarely the subject of anthropological research. In this paper, the prevalence of Stafne's bone defects in skeletal samples from Late Neolithic, Late Roman, Medieval and Modern Portugal is investigated (N ¼ 704 complete mandibles and 111 incomplete mandibles). The aims of this paper are threefold: (1) to present and analyse for the first time in Portuguese osteological record prevalence data on Stafne's bone defect, (2) to analyse variations in defect prevalence between skeletal samples from a wide temporal array and (3) to verify if more tenuous lesions in which resorption of the lingual cortex was not yet extensive had the classic radiographic appearance described by Stafne in order to validate the hypothesis that lesions are present clinically in many more cases than published figures indicate. In all cases, differential diagnosis against other conditions that mimic Stafne's defects, namely odontogenic lesions, cysts and neoplasms, was done. In all samples, the evidence of Stafne's defect occurred in 12 individuals (1.7%), and males (2.84%) were more frequently affected than females (0.61%). When incomplete mandibles were considered, only one left fragment (0.90%) exhibited Stafne's defect. Accurate identification of all examples of Stafne's bone defects in antiquity is thought to represent an important contribution to elucidate which factors may be responsible for this trait's cultural, ecological, temporal and geographical patterning.

Stafne's Defects in a Sample of Adult Thai Mandibles in the Khon Kaen University Osteology Collection, Thailand

“…It may, however, be visible on magnetic resonance imaging . The depth and size of Stafne's defects as has been reported by other researchers, (Wasterlain & Silva, ), in great part explains why shallow or early‐stage defects are less often ‘seen’ in patients.…”

“…The shallowest defect, in comparison, which measured less than 1.0 mm in depth and had no sclerotic margin, was difficult to see grossly, and virtually invisible to see on plain film radiography. It may, however, be (Wasterlain & Silva, 2010), in great part explains why shallow or early-stage defects are less often 'seen' in patients.…”

“…Higher frequencies reported in dry-bone mandibles are likely because of several factors including: (1) overlap of hard tissues such as the lingual plate may obscure Stafne's defects, making them difficult to see on patient radiographs; (2) periapical radiographs often do not include the mandible below the tooth roots, the region where Stafne's defects evolve; (3) shallow, early-stage defects may not have resulted in sufficient bone resorption to render them visible using some imaging modalities (Sandy & Williams, 1981;Wasterlain & Silva, 2010); and (4) that some researchers have classified and compared anterior defects located inferior with the incisors and premolars with the more common posterior defects first identified by Stafne. De Courten et al (2002), Buchner et al, 1991, andPhillips &Yates (2004), for example, reported on a variant of Stafne's defects in the anterior mandible that contained normal sublingual, not submandibular salivary gland tissue.…”

“…The youngest dry-bone specimen, in comparison, is a 10-12-year-old historic Native American child who died before AD 1740 (Mann, 1990). While Stafne's defects have been found in children, the vast majority are in men in the fifth and sixth decades of life (Wasterlain & Silva, 2010). With but one example (Shibata et al, 1991), Stafne's defects have not been found to fill in or 'disappear' once they attain mature size.…”

“…Stafne's defects, known by a variety of synonyms including static bone cavities, Stafne bone cysts, idiopathic bone cavities and developmental defects of the mandible have been reported in both modern and ancient specimens. While they have been found in ancient populations including Egyptians (Mann, 2001), the oldest reported example of a Stafne's defect is from Portugal and dates to 4250 ± 90 bp (Wasterlain & Silva, ). Most Stafne's defects measure from 1 to 3 cm in length and width and less than 1 cm in depth.…”