Atypical variant of Stafne bone defect mimicking odontogenic cyst of the jaw

Stafne first described the term “Stafne bone defects” (SBDs) in 1942. These are unilateral, asymptomatic, well-defined radiolucent lingual bony defects located at the posterior region of the mandible below the inferior alveolar canal. It is most commonly seen in the posterior region, whereas it is relatively rare in the anterior region. This anterior variant of SBD is often misdiagnosed as any other odontogenic cyst, and hence advanced imaging techniques should be followed to identify it at the earliest. Due to the lower prevalence of this entity, only a handful of cases have been documented for the anterior variant of SBD. In this paper, we have thus documented the rare variant of SBD in the anterior region.