The classification is similar to the classification of OM generally, according to the length of time the inflammation has been present and whether there is suppuration (the formation of pus). Acute<unk>  is loosely defined as OM which has been present for less than one month and chronic<unk>  is the term used for when the condition lasts for more than one month. Suppurative<unk>  is uncommon in developed regions, and more common in developing countries. In Europe and the United States, most cases follow dental infections, oral surgery or mandibular fractures. There have been many reported cases occurring in Africa which are coexistent with acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis or cancrum oris. In the pre-antibiotic era, acute OM of the jaws was more extensive. Massive, diffuse infections commonly involved the whole side of the mandible, or the whole of one side and the opposite side as far as the mental foramen. Localized<unk>  tended to be described as either vertical, where a short segment of the body of the mandible from the alveolar crest to the lower border was involved, and alveolar, where a segment of alveolar bone down to the level of the inferior alveolar canal would sequestrate, including the sockets of several teeth. Treatment with antibiotics has significantly altered the natural history of OM of the jaws. Today, however, the condition is often a hidden infection, due in part to not being visible on most dental X-rays unless there is a substantial loss of bone density. In addition, some schools of dentistry do not recognize "silent" OM of the jaws—occurrence of the condition without visually obvious manifestations—in their curriculum. In addition, as circulation is intrinsically diminished in jawbones, antibiotics are frequently ineffective.
Osteomyelitis of the jaws
Cysts of the jaws
Osteonecrosis of the jaw
Metastatic tumor of jaws
Hemifacial hypertrophy
Dental abscess
Melanocytic oral lesion
Onycholysis