The dense bone island is an asymptomatic radiopacity of unknown origin
and is known under many synonyms when it occurs in the jaw. This arti
cle discusses 113 dense bone islands in 107 patients with a review of
the literature and comparison with previous reports. The average age o
f the patient at discovery was 36 years with a women to men ratio of 2
:1. The mandible was involved in 109 of the 113 DBIs, with only 4 in t
he maxilla. The most common site affected was the mandibular first mol
ar region, the premolar region was the second most common site affecte
d. Resorption occurred in 11 (9.7%) cases, the first permanent molar w
as the most commonly affected.