Prevalence and anatomic topography of mandibular tori: computed tomographic analysis.

PURPOSE: Mandibular tori are located above the mylohyoid ridge. These features are relatively common in most populations, but their prevalence varies with race. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and features of mandibular tori in a Korean population using computed tomographic (CT) images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The CT images of 726 patients were analyzed in this study. The presence or absence of a mandibular torus was identified on the CT images of each patient's quadrants and categorized according to gender and age. The most common location was also evaluated according to the corresponding teeth. The cortical thickness of each torus was evaluated using a 3-dimensional reconstruction software program. RESULTS: The prevalence of mandibular tori in the entire sample was 24.1%, and most cases were bilateral. Mandibular tori were observed more frequently in young adults, with the prevalence being inversely related to age. The most frequently observed location was the premolar region, and the mean cortical thickness was 6.9 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Mandibular tori seem to change with aging. The prevalence in the present sample composed of Koreans was 24.1%, and younger patients may be more likely to develop a mandibular torus. Most tori presented a medium size bilaterally in the lingual aspect of the premolar region, and all were composed of cortical bone.

Radiographic study of the prevalence of periodontal bone loss in Australian school-aged children attending the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of alveolar bone loss around the first permanent molars, and first and second deciduous molars in Australian school-aged children attending the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. METHOD: Nine hundred and ninety-five records were examined for useable bitewing radiographs. From these, radiographs of 542 Australian school children aged 5-12 years were used. The cervical-enamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar bone crest (ABC) distance was measured using the transparent ruler on the magnifier. Each inter-dental site that was readable was scored as one for the following categories: not available (NA); no bone loss (NBL)- the CEJ-ABC was < or =2 mm; questionable bone loss (QBL): the distance from the CEJ-ABC was >2 and <3 mm; and definite bone loss (DBL): the distance from the CEJ to ABC was > or =3 mm. RESULTS: Seventy-one children (13.0%) were found to have 83 DBL sites, as determined by bone levels >3.0 mm from the CEJ. Seventy children had QBL lesions only, 50 children had DBL only and 21 children had both. The overall prevalence of bone loss was 26%. Second deciduous molars were found to be the most affected teeth with almost 75% lesions being distal. These teeth comprised 50% of the DBL lesions. Children of Asian-Far Eastern origin had a higher percentage of sites with bone loss compared with children of Caucasian origin, being 29.5% and 19.7%, respectively, but lower than that of children of Middle-Eastern origin (35.2%). When the data were analysed with relation to age, there was no relationship between age and prevalence of bone loss. CONCLUSION: In the population studied, there was an overall prevalence of periodontal bone loss of 26% and DBL of 13% in an Australian school-aged group. Calculus was detected infrequently and, where present, was associated with bone loss.

[Idiopathic osteosclerosis in jaw bones. Clinical statistic study on a population of Sardinian origin]. / Osteosclerosi idiopatiche dei mascellari. Indagine clinico-statistica su una popolazione originaria della Sardegna.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic Osteosclerosis are localized, non-expansive and asymptomatic areas of bone radio-opacity, whose aetiology is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess its frequency, and distribution according to its location and to patients' age and gender, in a sample of patients native in Sardinia. METHODS: 697 consecutive clinical records of patients who underwent odontological treatment at the Department of Odontostomatologic Sciences at Cagliari University, over a 10-year period were studied. The panoramic radiographs attached to the clinical records were examined and searched for all cases that showed radio-opacity areas in maxillary bones that could be identified as idiopathic osteosclerosis (IO). RESULTS: By examining orthopantomographies we have located 58 IOs. We found no significant differences between the sexes; average age was 37.8 years. The mandible has proved to be the most affected site (98.2%) in the first molar tooth region (34.5%), followed by the premolar teeth region (25.9%) and of the second molar tooth (15.5%). The lesions examined had an average diameter of 8.8 mm. CONCLUSIONS: IO frequency has proved to be slightly higher than that reported in other articles, though remaining significantly lower than the values reported in Eastern populations. From the clinical point of view, IOs have been identified as sporadic radiographic findings without any real pathological relevance, except for one case in which the lesion caused nervous compression and dental retention, so that it was necessary to administer specific treatment.

Assessment of periodontal conditions and systemic disease in older subjects. I. Focus on osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis (OPOR) is a common chronic disease, especially in older women. Patients are often unaware of the condition until they experience bone fractures. Studies have suggested that OPOR and periodontitis are associated diseases and exaggerated by cytokine activity. Panoramic radiography (PMX) allows studies of mandibular cortical index (MCI), which is potentially diagnostic for OPOR. AIMS: i). To study the prevalence of self-reported history of OPOR in an older, ethnically diverse population, ii). to assess the agreement between PMX/MCI findings and self-reported OPOR, and iii). to assess the likelihood of having both a self-reported history of OPOR and a diagnosis of periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PMX and medical history were obtained from 1084 subjects aged 60-75 (mean age 67.6, SD +/- 4.7). Of the films, 90.3% were useful for analysis. PMXs were studied using MCI. The PMXs were used to grade subjects as not having periodontitis or with one of three grades of periodontitis severity. RESULTS: A positive MCI was found in 38.9% of the subjects, in contrast to 8.2% self-reported OPOR. The intraclass correlation between MCI and self-reported OPOR was 0.20 (P < 0.01). The likelihood of an association between OPOR and MCI was 2.6 (95%CI: 1.6, 4.1, P < 0.001). Subjects with self-reported OPOR and a positive MCI had worse periodontal conditions (P < 0.01). The Mantel-Haentzel odds ratio for OPOR and periodontitis was 1.8 (95%CI: 1.2, 2.5, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of positive MCI was high and consistent with epidemiological studies, but only partly consistent with a self-reported history of osteoporosis with a higher prevalence of positive MCI in Chinese women. Horizontal alveolar bone loss is associated with both positive self-reported OPOR and MCI.

Occurrence of torus palatinus and mandibularis among women of different ethnic groups.

PURPOSE: To detect the presence of tori in women of different ethnic groups residing in the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C., USA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 448 females between the ages of 18-88 years participated in the study. There were 302 African Americans, 62 Caucasians, 43 Hispanics, 36 Asians, and 5 Native Americans. RESULTS: Tori were detected in 107 African Americans (35.4%), 20 Caucasians (32.3%), 13 Hispanics (30.2%), 14 Asians (38.9%), and 1 of the 5 Native American (20%), (P = 0.328). Torus palatinus were found in 69.7% of women from all ethnic groups (P = 0.107). Slightly higher percentage was seen in the Hispanics, then the African Americans, with the least in the Caucasians. Torus mandibularis were found only in 38.7% of all subjects (P< 0.05), were more common among Caucasians, and were usually bilateral. The presence of both tori was only detected in 8.4% of the participants. There was no relationship between age and the presence of torus mandibularis (r = 0.074) or palatinus (r = 0.008).

Idiopathic osteosclerosis in the jaws of Britons and of the Hong Kong Chinese: radiology and systematic review.

AIM: To compare the prevalence of idiopathic osteosclerosis in the jaws in Hong Kong and Britain. METHODS: The panoramic radiographs of consecutive patients who attended the primary care departments of the dental hospitals in Hong Kong in 1981 and 1990 and London in 1990 and of Edinburgh in 1993 were reviewed. The size of the Hong Kong lesions was measured. The literature was subjected to systematic review. RESULTS: The prevalence of idiopathic osteosclerosis in Hong Kong in 1981 and 1990, London and Edinburgh was 6.7, 5.5, 2.7 and 4.1% respectively. The prevalence of idiopathic osteosclerosis was greater in the Oriental (Chinese and Japanese) than in Western surveys. The lesions in the 1990 Hong Kong survey in the third decade were significantly smaller than those in the 1981 survey. The decrease in size in Hong Kong 1990 was also accompanied by a reduction in overall prevalence. The predilection for the mandible, especially in the premolar area, was observed in the Chinese and London series; this feature was also common to all other reports. CONCLUSION: The Chinese have a greater prevalence of idiopathic osteosclerosis than Western populations.

Pigmented lateral periodontal cyst and other pigmented odontogenic lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of lateral periodontal cyst (LPC) with marked melanin pigmentation in a 38-year-old Black male and to discuss the phenomenon of melanin pigmentation in odontogenic cysts and tumors. RESULTS: Histologically, the epithelial lining of the LPC contained an abundant amount of melanin granules throughout the entire epithelium. Ultrastructurally, epithelial cells contained mature melanosomes (stage IV melanosomes). Melanophages containing aggregates of melanosomes were identified in the connective tissue cyst wall. Perusal of the literature revealed that melanin pigmentation in odontogenic lesions is uncommon. Melanin has been reported in calcifying odontogenic cyst (18 cases), odontogenic keratocyst (8 cases), adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (3 cases), ameloblastic fibroma (3 cases), odontoma (2 cases), and ameloblastic fibro-odontoma, odonto-ameloblastoma, and odontogenic fibroma (1 case each). CONCLUSIONS: Almost all pigmented odontogenic lesions; occurred in Blacks and Asians; they are almost non-existent in Whites. Thus, racial pigmentation probably plays an important role in such lesions.

Tori mandibularis: a case report and review of the literature.

Many dentists have patients in their practice with mandibular exostoses, termed torus mandibularis. The majority of these asymptomatic, benign bony outgrowths remain undisturbed over the patient's lifetime. However, the tori occasionally need to be removed. The differential diagnosis for the tori are discussed as well as the indications and techniques for their removal. Various hypotheses concerning the etiology and epidemiology of torus mandibularis are also reviewed.

Torus palatinus and torus mandibularis: a review of the literature.

The torus has been mentioned in the literature for about 180 years. However, little has been revealed about it until the last two decades when great advances were made in the field of genetics. Its occurrence in various ethnic groups ranges from 9 to 66 per cent. Even between similar ethnic groups living in different environments, different figures have been reported. It has been statistically proven that differences do occur between various ethnic groups and the sexes. In current thinking, the occurrence of tori is considered to be an interplay of genetic and environmental factors. The quasi-continuous genetic or threshold model seems to hold the answers to their formation. This theory proposes that the environmental factors responsible must first reach a threshold level before the genetic factors can express themselves in the individual. Hence, both genetic and environmental factors determine liability, making the system multifactorial.