Stafne’s Bone Cavity: A Diagnostic Challenge

Abstract

Stafne’s bone cavity is a rare, asymptomatic, unilateral oval shaped radiolucent defect in the posterior region of the mandible below the inferior alveolar canal. The prevalence ranges from 0.10% to 0.48% and more common in males. It is mostly an incidental finding on panoramic radiograph. This radiolucency is considered to be a deformity of the medial cortex. This article presents five rare cases of Stafne’s bone cavity which were referred for opinion or wrongly diagnosed by practicing health professionals as jaw tumour leading to psychological distress in these patients. This article also focuses on reviewing the published literature, differential diagnosis along with use of various diagnostic imaging resources for this bone defect and to add five new Indian cases to the literature.