Dense bone island of the jaw: a case report.

The "Dense Bone Island" (DBI) is a radiopaque lesion referred in leterature as idiopathic osteosclerosis, enostosis, focal osteosclerosis, periapical osteopetrosis, and bone scar. The DBI are accidentally found in routinary Xray of bone structures. In the maxillary bones, often localized in the mandible, especially in the molar region, with a reported incidence ranging from 2.3 to 9.7%. DBI does not seem to develop until the first phase of adolescence and it is usually found in adolescents and in young adults. In 40% of cases DBI seems to increase in size after a 10 year follow-up, because the DBI found in jaws and in long bones seem to increase proportionally to the bone growth. A case of a 26 years old patient and the surgical treatment is presented. This is the first reported case where complete X-ray Orthopantomography follow-up showed the evolution of the lesion since its onset.