The anterior buccal mandibular depression: physical and radiologic features.

The anterior buccal mandibular depression (ABMD), an anatomic variation not previously mentioned in the dental literature, is considered. Its physical and radiologic configuration is evaluated, and its significance in the differential diagnosis of radiolucent lesions in the anterior portion of the mandible is discussed. The general prevalence of ABMD was found to be 19.8%, with a significantly higher prevalence in children (p less than 0.001). In the majority of cases, the depression was radiologically detected. The radiopacity of the area was significantly dependent on depth of the depression (p less than 0.001). The radiographic image of the ABMD resembles, in many cases, the image of the less common anterior lingual salivary gland depression. The relatively high frequency of the ABMD indicates the importance of recognizing its radiologic features.