Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Lateral Molar Approach-Driven Transoral Endoscopic Procedure for Benign Infratemporal Fossa Tumor Resection
Published on: August 15, 2025
Focal osteoporotic bone marrow defect mimicking a mandibular cystic lesion
Luciana Yamamoto Almeida1, Rogério Bentes Kato, Michel Campos Ribeiro
1From the *Department of Oral Diagnosis, Dentistry School of Piracicaba, University of Campinas (FOP/UNICAMP), Piracicaba; and Departments of †Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Periodontology and ‡Stomatology, Public Oral Health, and Forensic Dentistry, University of São Paulo, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto (FORP/USP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
Abstract:
An unusual presentation of a focal osteoporotic bone marrow defect (FOBMD) of the mandible mimicking a cystic lesion is documented. A definitive diagnosis could be established only on the basis of the histopathologic evaluation. A 66-year-old Brazilian woman was referred by her dentist for well-defined radiolucency of the mandibular molar region suggesting a cystic lesion of odontogenic origin. The computed tomography scan confirmed that the lesion did not affect the corticals. The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of FOBMD. The diagnostic difficulty in the current case is obvious, because FOBMD, usually exhibiting an ill-defined radiolucency, is seldom suspected preoperatively when a differential diagnosis is considered for focal well-defined radiolucent areas in the jaws.
