Oral complaints caused from metastases to the mandible and maxilla

Jaw bone disorders causing oral complaints are common in primary care settings. Most of these conditions are of a chronic and benign nature. However they also may be the symptoms of a primary or secondary malignant process in the bone. The most common malignant bone tumor is metastatic carcinoma, and tumors arising in the breast, prostate, thyroid, lung and kidney have a special propensity to spread to bone. Yet metastases to the bones are rare; less than one per cent of all neoplasms metastases to the maxillofacial area. We describe four cases of metastatic tumours to the jaws. Two cases originated from the thyroid gland while the rest were from the oesophagus and the liver respectively. Three lesions occurred in the mandible and one in the maxilla. Patients presented with oral discomforts disregarding the primary tumor. Physicians who frequently advise patients with oral complaints should keep in mind that whereas these symptoms are mostly of a chronic and benign nature, metastases from a malignant tumor must be included in the differential diagnosis.