A 66-year-old healthy man was referred from a private dental clinic for evaluation of a multilocular radiolucency at the left molar region of the mandible. Panoramic radiograph revealed a well-defined multilocular radiolucent area under the mandibular canal at the distal root of the second molar tooth (). The lesion showed three lobulated radiolucencies with radiopaque margins in the region of the submandibular gland fossa. On clinical examination, there was no sign of infection, fistula, or nerve damage. No history of expansion on the left mandibular angle area was recorded. The patient had no systemic disease and no specific medical history.\nCBCT scan was recommended for further study. Axial CBCT images showed a lingual bony defect located at the lingual side of the mandibular canal (). Coronal CBCT images showed a lobulated bony defect below the mandibular canal (). The maximum mesiodistal length of the defect was 14.16 mm, and the height was 7.38 mm. The maximum buccolingual length of the defect was 4.44 mm, not showing the expansion or thinning of the buccal cortical bone.\nParasagittal CBCT images showed three lobulated radiolucencies with radiopaque margins between the mandibular canal and the inferior border of the mandible (). Three-dimensional, reformatted CBCT images revealed a bony defect extending from the medial surface of the mandible ().\nThe lesion was diagnosed as a developmental salivary gland defect from the radiographic features. The patient was informed about the lesion and was scheduled for follow-up.
A 45-year-old man referred to the Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences for routine dental and periodontal examinations. The patient's medical history was not significant. He was not a smoker and revealed no history of trauma or jaw surgery. On extraoral examination, he had a normal appearance. On intraoral examination, the patient had neither any pain nor swelling on the buccal and lingual aspects of the mandible. The radiographic images showed a well-defined unilocular radiolucency below the apices of the left lateral incisor and left canine teeth [].\nFurthermore, deep caries was observed in the left lateral incisor. The clinician suspected a periapical lesion of endodontic origin, but unfortunately, the vitality test of the tooth was not done. To rule out any possible existing pathology in anterior mandible, a diagnostic excision biopsy was planned. The surgical exploration revealed the lingual cortex had been destroyed. Further, the gross examination indicated a soft, relatively firm, brownish, gray mass with granular surface measuring approximately 20 mm × 10 mm × 20 mm. Moreover, histopathologic examination showed a normal salivary gland tissue, with many mucous acini and ducts, which was consistent with normal sublingual gland []. The sections from few other areas revealed inflammatory cells, muscle tissue, fat tissue, blood vessels, and nerve bundles []. Thus, based on the clinical, radiographical, and histopathological findings, the final diagnosis of SBC with ectopic salivary gland tissue was made. Clinical and radiographic controls were performed during 3 months of follow-up. No changes in the zone have been detected.