Dense bone island. A review of 107 patients.

The dense bone island is an asymptomatic radiopacity of unknown origin and is known under many synonyms when it occurs in the jaw. This article discusses 113 dense bone islands in 107 patients with a review of the literature and comparison with previous reports. The average age of the patient at discovery was 36 years with a women to men ratio of 2:1. The mandible was involved in 109 of the 113 DBIs, with only 4 in the maxilla. The most common site affected was the mandibular first molar region, the premolar region was the second most common site affected. Resorption occurred in 11 (9.7%) cases, the first permanent molar was the most commonly affected.