Stafne bone cavity: A retrospective panoramic evaluation on prevalence in Turkish subpopulation

Abstract

Objective: Stafne’s bone cavity was first described by Stafne, who reported 35 cases of unilateral, asymptomatic radiolucencies in 1942. The bone cavities are located on the posterior mandible and below the mandibular canal, above the mandibular base. They usually include an ectopic salivary gland and their incidence was reported as between 0.1% and 0.48%. The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of Stafne bone cavity (SBC) in a Turkish subpopulation. Materials and Methods: A retrospective, observational study was designed with panoramic radiographies. A total of 14,250 panoramic radiographies were inspected. 192 of panoramic radiographs were considered as unfit for the study due to various reasons (e.g., low image quality and big artefact) and were excluded from the study. The localizations of the defects on the mandible were noted. Results: Among the 14,058 patients, only 13 (0.09%) had SBC, of whom 4 were female (30.7%), and 9 were male (69.3%). The age range of patients with SBC was 21-75 years (mean age: 49.2). All the cavities were detected in the posterior region of the mandible. Conclusion: SBC is a rare developmental anomaly and has a typical radiologic appearance. Panoramic radiography seems to be a sufficient diagnostic tool for detecting SBC.