Evaluation of frequency of zygmatic air cell defect in panoramic radiography of patients referred to radiology department of Tabriz dental faculty in 2011

Abstract

Different researchers conducted studies on the prevalence of zygomatic air cell defect (ZACd) at various populations. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, radiographic appearance, and characteristics of patients with zygomatic air cell defect (ZACD) in Irainian populations. Materials and Methods: Routine panoramic radiographs of 1,000 patients admitted to Department of Oral Radiology of Tabriz Dental Faculty were retrospectively examined for the frequency and radiographic features of ZACD by a single radiologist. Results: ZACD was found in 25 cases, representing a prevalence of 2.5%. ZACD showed a strong female predilection (with female to male ratio of 3/1), 20 of the 25 subjects were females and 5 were males. Eighteen cases of ZACD were unilateral and in 7 cases, ZACD was bilateral. Twenty-four of the defects were unilocular, while 8 of the defects were multilocular. Conclusion: The prevalence of ZACD was few at our study with the predominance of female, unilateral, and unilacolar defects.