Case report: Radiopaque mandibular lesions in three dogs

Abstract

Radiopaque lesions of the mandible are occasional findings in dental radiographs in dogs. The different diagnoses of densely sclerotic lesions in humans include odontoma, idiopathic osteosclerosis, condensing osteitis, hypercementosis, osteoma, osteoblastoma, and oral exostosis. Publications on many of these conditions in dogs are scarce. This clinical report describes three young adult dogs with radiologically and histologically similar radiopaque mandibular lesions that had either displaced or narrowed the mandibular canal. One dog showed symptoms that could have been consistent with neurological pain due to the lesion. Diagnostics included clinical examination, dental radiographs, cone beam computed tomography and histology. Radiographically and clinically, the lesions resembled human idiopathic osteosclerosis. Histology alone did not reveal a definitive diagnosis, but combining histology with clinical and radiographic data, the most likely diagnosis was idiopathic osteosclerosis. The dogs returned for follow-ups 6 months after the surgeries, and there was no evidence of additional growth in the remaining lesions.

Keywords: canine; cone beam computed tomography; idiopathic osteosclerosis; mandible; radiopaque.

Figure 1

Case 1: Mandibular dental radiograph (A) and sagittal (B), transverse (C) and dorsal (D) planes of the cone beam computed tomography showing the variably sclerotic, oval-shaped lesion (arrow) positioned apically to the left mandibular third premolar tooth.

Figure 2

Case 2: Mandibular dental radiograph (A) and sagittal (B), transverse (C) and dorsal (D) planes of the cone beam computed tomography showing the densely sclerotic, homogenous, oval-shaped lesion (arrow) apical to the distal root of the left mandibular first molar tooth. Clinical photograph (E) from the surgery of the same patient and a transverse plane (F) of the cone beam computed tomography from the postoperative images showing the more anatomical placement of the inferior alveolar bundle (asterisk).

Figure 3

Microscopic image of a hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue section of Case 2. The sample is consistent with osseous or cemento-osseous tissue and comprised of extracellular matrix containing lacunae variably populated by osteocytes. The extracellular matrix lamellae are arranged in parallel streams or occasional concentric whorls resembling osteonal architecture.

Figure 4

Case 3: Mandibular dental radiograph (A) and sagittal (B), transverse (C) and dorsal (D) planes of the cone beam computed tomography showing the variably sclerotic, oval-shaped lesion (arrow) apically to the left mandibular second molar tooth.