Idiopathic bone cavity of the jaws : an updated analysis of the cases reported in the literature

The purpose of the present systematic review was to compare the clinic-radiological features of solitary with multiple idiopathic bone cavity (IBC) reported in the jaws. We also aimed to identify possible features that may have some influence on the frequency of persistence of IBC following treatment. An electronic search was undertaken in August/2018. Eligibility criteria included publications having enough clinical/radiological/histological information to confirm the diagnosis. A total of 284 publications reporting 1253 IBCs were included. Multiple IBCs affect older patients and more frequently women in comparison to solitary IBCs. While trauma is more commonly found in solitary IBC, scalloping around teeth, bone expansion and persistence of the cavity following treatment were more significantly associated with multiple lesions. The most relevant factors that are suggested to influence the persistence of the cavity are ‘surgical access only’ in comparison to ‘curettage’, presence of scalloping around teeth, patients with multiple IBCs, and increase in size of the lesion. Solitary and multiple IBC differ in some clinical and radiological aspects and show distinct rates of persistence following treatment. Curettage is the treatment of choice for IBC compared to surgical access only