title: Unilocular radiolucencies of anterior mandible in young patients: A 10 year retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mandibular anterior region is an uncommon site for occurrence of intrabony pathologies. Unilocular presentation of a lesion is again less common than multilocular appearance. Demographically, most lesions occur in middle to elderly age group. The study is designed to review the pathologies manifesting a combination of these rare demographic and radiological criteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of patients with anterior unilocular radiolucencies of mandible in young patients was done. Records of past 10 years were searched. There were a total of 17 patients. Their clinical history and radiographs were reviewed from the case files and correlated with histopathological examination of the lesion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine different pathologies constituted the sample size of 17. A wide array of lesions was found to manifest similar signs and symptoms and radiographic findings namely ameloblastoma (three), adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT, four), odontogenic keratocyst (OKC, three), ossifying fibroma (OF, two), idiopathic bone cavity (IBC, one), dentigerous cyst (DC, one), radicular cyst (RC, one), central giant cell granuloma (CGCG, one), and calcifying odontogenic cyst (COC, one).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anterior mandible is a rare site for occurrence of intrabony pathologies. Majority of patients are females. Lesions acquire large size before they are detected. Growth occurs more in length than in width. Root resorption is not uncommon and root displacement is almost a consistent feature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Sujata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohanty
authors.forename: Ujjwal
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gulati
authors.forename: Akshat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mediratta
authors.forename: Sujoy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
keywords: Benign tumor; cyst; impacted tooth; midline; orthopantomogram