Mandibular osteomas in ulcerative colitis.

Orthopantomography of the mandible in 50 consecutive patients with ulcerative colitis showed mandibular osteomas in 2 patients (4%), which is the same frequency as found in the normal population. Since earlier investigations have shown an increased frequency of mandibular osteomas in familial polyposis coli, the cancer family syndrome, and colorectal cancer without known familial disposition, it is concluded that the etiology of colorectal carcinoma in ulcerative colitis is not, as for these diseases, a combination of the same genetic and environmental factors but probably only a function of the duration and involvement of the disease.