Differential diagnosis of a salivary gland bone defect by means of computerized tomography: A case report

Authors

  • Filipe Miguel Araújo Universidade Católica Portuguesa
  • Tiago Marques
  • André Correia
  • António Silva
  • João Tinoco

Keywords:

Stafne cavity, tomography, bone defect

Abstract

Purpose: Salivary gland bone defects are rare entities, generally asymptomatic and found in routine imaging exams. This paper reports the use of computed tomography (CT) with tridimensional rendering to investigate the differential diagnosis of a unilateral radiolucent area located near the angle of the left mandible, below the mandibular dental nerve canal. Case Description: A 71-year-old Caucasian male subject attended the University Dental Clinics of the Portuguese Catholic University, in Viseu, Portugal, seeking routine dental treatment for oral rehabilitation. Radiographic examination showed a radiolucent unilocular image, well circumscribed, located in the horizontal ramus of the left side of the mandible, near its angle, below the mandibular dental nerve canal. No teeth contact to the radiolucent image was detected. In the panoramic digital radiograph the image had 12 mm mesio-distal width. A CT scan with tridimensional rendering was performed to refine the measurements of the lesion dimension and its relation with other anatomical structures. Conclusion: According to the clinical and radiographic findings and based on the dental literature, it was concluded that the observed bone cavity was a Stafne bone defect, located in the angle of the mandible below the mandibular dental nerve canal.

Downloads

Published

2008-11-10

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 2 (2009)

Section

Case Report

License

COPYRIGHT
The submission of originals to Odonto Ciência implies the transfer by the authors of the right for publication. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication. If the authors wish to include the same data into another publication, they must cite Odonto Ciência as the site of original publication.

CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE
As this journal is open access, the articles are allowed free use in scientific and educational applications, with citation of the source.
According to the type of Creative Commons License (CC-BY 4.0) adopted by Odonto Ciência, the user must respect the requirements below.

You are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

However, only under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests Odonto Ciência endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.

For more details on the Creative Commons license, please follow the link in the footer of this website.