title: Asymptomatic radiopaque lesions of the jaws: a radiographic study using cone-beam computed tomography.
abstract: Panoramic radiography and cone-beam computed tomography (CT) were used to analyze asymptomatic radiopaque lesions in the jaw bones and determine the diagnostic relevance of the lesions based on their relationships to teeth and site of origin. One hundred radiopaque lesions detected between 1998 and 2002 were examined by both panoramic radiography and cone-beam CT. On the basis of panoramic radiographs, the region was classified as periapical, body, or edentulous, and the site was classified as molar or premolar. Follow-up data from medical records were available for only 36 of these cases. The study protocol for simultaneous use of cone-beam CT was approved by the ethics review board of our institution. A large majority of radiopaque lesions were observed in premolar and molar sites of the mandible; 60% of lesions were periapical, 24% were in the body, and 16% were in the edentulous region. An interesting type of radiopaque lesion, which we named a pearl shell structure (PSS), was observed on cone-beam CT in 34 of the 100 lesions. The PSS is a distinctive structure, and this finding on cone-beam CT likely represents the start of bone formation before bone sclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Tokyo, Japan. araki-m@dent.nihon-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Kunihito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohnishi
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komiyama
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007568:Jaw / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D007571:Jaw Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008336:Mandibular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008439:Maxillary Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010026:Osteosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010483:Periapical Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult