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

Enlargement of the genial tubercles, a group of four tubercles located at the inner part of symphysis menti, is very rare especiallyin dentulous patients. These may lead to problems in speaking, chewing, swallowing and further rehabilitation of thetotal 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 expansionwas detected on the lingual surface of the mandibular symphysis region. Panoramic radiography and cone beam computedtomography (CBCT) were performed. When images were evaluated, enlarged genial tubercle was observed only in CBCT butnot in panoramic radiography. The patient was operated under general anesthesia and the enlarged genial tubercle wascompletely 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 CBCTis very useful in the diagnosis of enlarged genial tubercle exostosis and planning of the surgical procedure.

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