Stafne defect

Stafne defect
Other namesStafne's idiopathic bone cavity, Stafne bone cavity, Stafne bone cyst, lingual mandibular salivary gland depression, lingual mandibular cortical defect, latent bone cyst, and static bone cyst
Dental panoramic radiograph showing Stafne defect in the right mandible, below the inferior alveolar nerve canal (arrowed, appears on lower left of image). This x-ray was taken for an unrelated assessment of wisdom teeth, and the Stafne defect was a chance finding.

The Stafne defect is a depression of the mandible (jawbone), most commonly located on the lingual surface (the side nearest the tongue). The Stafne defect is thought to be a normal anatomical variant, as the depression is created by ectopic salivary gland tissue associated with the submandibular gland and does not represent a pathologic lesion as such. This cavity is commonly observed on panoramic radiograph.

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