Fig. 2

A panoramic radiograph showing the comparison of sclerosing type OM with and without drainage.. Pre-operative sclerosing OM on panoramic X-ray shows as a dense lesion with increased radiopacity compared to the surrounding healthy bone tissue (marked with arrows) in patient No. 22 (a). Immediate post-operative view following saucerization and drain insertion for decompression (marked with arrowheads). Panoramic X-ray view may show only the lingual wall of mandibular body with minimum soft tissue image. b. Following the decortication procedure, the sclerosing OM could be healed uneventfully with bone turnover, resulting in the decrease of bone density in the sclerotic area (the decrease of GSV) with minimal difference from the surrounding healthy bone tissue at one-year follow-up (c). Pre-operative panoramic radiograph showing sclerotic OM in the left posterior mandible region in patient No.67 (d). Immediate post-operative view without drain (e). One-year follow-up view (f)