Two well demarcated ovoid radiolucent lesions (right, 3.9×1.5 cm and left, 2.9×1.1 cm) were found incidentally in the anterior mandible of a 44-year-old female patient on her panoramic dental X-ray (). The patient did not show any symptom of radiolucencies. The radiological findings were interpreted as radicular cysts. Two fragments of tissue from the cavities were submitted for histological diagnosis. The biopsied tissue fragments showed normal salivary gland tissue with mixed serous and mucinous cells. These findings were otherwise unremarkable, except for the small amount of lymphoid cell infiltration that was discovered (). The clinical, radiological, and pathological findings were consistent with Stafne bone cavity.
A 49-year-old asymptomatic male patient was referred to a private clinic in order to undergo routine panoramic radiography. Results showed an oval-shaped, radiolucent area of cystic aspect and regular, well-defined cortical outline; its longest axis was placed horizontally in the left hemimandible. This lithic area, located under the lower left third molar, was anterior to the mandibular angle, and reached the border of the mandible, which showed thinner than normal width due to the presence of the bone defect. The apparent unity of the upper contour of the lesion and the upper wall of the mandibular canal gave them a thicker than normal appearance. The fact that the lower wall of the mandibular canal was visible within the radiolucent area showed that there could be a neighboring relationship, but not an involvement, of the inferior alveolar nerve ().\nAs a hard buccal protuberance was perceived on palpation, a CT was performed. The coronal view in the CT scan showed that there had been a distention of the mandibular buccal cortex and that glandular tissue had been spreading into the bone defect. A further coronal view revealed the buccal location of the mandibular canal, which was preserved (Figures and ).\nA previous scintigraphy revealed an inflammatory condition associated with an obstructive process involving the submandibular glands, particularly on the left side ().