Unusual enlargement of genial tubercle on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT): case report

Abstract

Enlargement of the genial tubercles, a group of four tubercles located at the inner part of symphysis menti, is very rare especially

in dentulous patients. These may lead to problems in speaking, chewing, swallowing and further rehabilitation of the

total prosthesis. A 39-year-old female patient was referred to the clinic for the assessment of general dental examination.

The patient had difficulty in speaking and swallowing. When the floor of the oral cavity was examined, a bony expansion

was detected on the lingual surface of the mandibular symphysis region. Panoramic radiography and cone beam computed

tomography (CBCT) were performed. When images were evaluated, enlarged genial tubercle was observed only in CBCT but

not in panoramic radiography. The patient was operated under general anesthesia and the enlarged genial tubercle was

completely removed. In the post-operative period, speech and swallowing difficulties ceased to exist. To our knowledge,

there is no other case reported with such long genial tubercles (22 mm) especially in a dentulous patient. We conclude CBCT

is very useful in the diagnosis of enlarged genial tubercle exostosis and planning of the surgical procedure.

Keywords

• enlargement,genial tubercle,mandible,cone beam tomography,enlargement,genial tubercle,mandible

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