Variants of major salivary gland related bone defects- A case series

Salivary gland related bone defects or Stafne bone defects are asymptomatic bone cavities in the mandible caused by impingement by the salivary glandular tissue. All the three major salivary glands are in approximation with the mandible and depressions with each can produce radiolucent defects on the surface of the mandible. These bone defects or depressions are categorized as anterior lingual variant, posterior lingual variant and medial ramus variant. These are well defined radiolucent areas that are incidentally discovered on panoramic radiographs and diagnosis may not require elaborative imaging due to asymptomatic nature and characteristic locations. These defects are commonly unilocular but rare multilocular variants have also been described. This case series describe medial ramus variant and 2 posterior lingual variants with one showing multilocular appearance.