Stafne's Defect: Diagnosis with Cone Beam Computed Tomography: Case Report

Abstract

Stafne's Defect is an asymptomatic bone lesion, most common in men between the fifth and seventh decade of life. It is characterized as radiolucent, delimited and well-defined image in the posterior region of the mandible and is usually discovered on routine radiographic examination. In this case, the patient is in the third decade of life and clinical and radiographic characteristics described were consistent with those found in academic literature. Cone beam computed tomography was used to diagnose the defect and enabled the differential diagnosis with other pathologies, avoiding unnecessary surgical procedures. Considering that it is a non-progressive change, its conservative therapy is based on the periodic control of the lesion.In this case report, it was possible to confirm that cone beam computed tomography acts as an important tool in the diagnosis of Stafne'sDefect, as it enabled the differential diagnosis in regards to other diseases, thus avoiding unnecessary surgical procedures.