Juvenile mandibular chronic osteomyelitis: a distinct clinical entity

Sclerosing osteomyelitis of the mandible is an uncommon disease of unknown aetiology. A series of eight female children (6 to 12 years old) with a distinct mandibular inflammatory disease were studied. Each presented with pain and a recurrent soft tissue swelling overlying a predominantly unilateral mandibular enlargement. On imaging, this deformity demonstrated a mixture of patchy sclerosis and radiolucency. A raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate was the only consistent serological finding. Treatment varied from symptomatic control with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, to surgical management that included decortication and contouring and, in one case, resection with reconstruction. A potential protocol for treatment of this disease is given. The early age of onset of the disease process and the uniformity of the features distinguish this condition from other groups of disorders that, previously, have been collectively designated as chronic diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis. It is proposed that this inflammatory disease of mandibular bone, in the paediatric patient, should be regarded as a separate clinical entity: 'juvenile mandibular chronic osteomyelitis'.