Diagnosis and treatment of subpontic osseous hyperplasia. Report of a case.

This report describes a case of subpontic osseous hyperplasia that occurred in the posterior mandible of a healthy 67-year-old woman. The two hard masses, which were removed from beneath a fixed partial denture that was placed 35 years ago and spanned the lower left first premolar and the first and second molars, consisted of normal viable dense cortical bone. Only 30 cases of this phenomenon defined as a slow-growing, benign osseous proliferation occurring on the crest of the alveolar ridge beneath the pontic of a fixed partial denture have been described in the literature. Possible causes, including genetic programming, functional stimulus, and mild chronic irritation are discussed, as well as rationale for treatment of this anomaly.