[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.

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.