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.
The asymptomatic patient, a 60-year-old man, was referred to a radiology clinic to undergo examination for the purpose of implant planning. The panoramic radiograph revealed no important alterations in the mandible (). The patient underwent multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) (Synergy Helicoidal, General Electric Company, Milwaukee, WI), with slices and intervals of 0.625 mm, field of view 15.8 cm, matrix 512 × 512, standard filter, 120 kV and 200 mA.\nThe tomographic images clearly showed multiple cavitary defects, two in the anterior region (anterior variant) and one in the posterior region (posterior variant) (Figures , , and ). Intracavitary tomographic density (Hounsfield units) suggested glandular tissue in the anterior defects and fat in the posterior defect.