Comparsion of Mandibular cortex thickness in Panoramic and CBCT images

Abstract

Introduction: The decrease in density of different bones of the body is significantly related to the thickness of the mandibular cortex.Many bone loss cases are not diagnosed until clinical signs and bone fractures appear.Dental clinics and offices can act as a screening and diagnosis center for this disease.The aim of this study was to compare the thickness and height of the mandibular cortex in panoramic and Cone beam computed tomograghy images. Materials and methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 106 panoramic and CBCT images that were prescribed simultaneously were selected from the archive of a private office.In the panoramic images, a line tangent to the lower border of the mandible was drawn in the angle region of the mandible.Two separate points A and B were considered. Point A is the intersection of the perpendicular line drawn from the Gonion point to the tangent to the lower border of the mandible.Point B is the intersection of the perpendicular line drawn from the mental foramen with the line tangent to the lower mandibular border. Bone height and cortex thickness were measured from point A to the lower border of the inferior alevolar nerve canal.At point B, bone height and cortical were measured from the heighest point of the mental foramen to point B.In CBCT images, measurements were performed in the same way in cross-sectional images. The results were analyzed by SPSS 20 software and Mann-Whitney test. Results: The height of the mandibular bone in the mental area, on both the right and left, was similar between panoramic and CBCT images.The thickness of the cortex on both the right and left, was significantly greater in CBCT images than in panoramic images.Mandibular bone height was greater in men than women in CBCT images in the mental and gonial regions.But in the panoramic images, only in the mental area it was greater in men than women and it was similar in the Gonion area.In the mental area the thickness of the cortex in both imaging system is similar but in the gonial region it is greater in men than women. Conclusion: The thickness of the mandibular cortex at the mental foramen point was greater in CBCT images compared to panoramic images, although the bone height was similar in both images. The bone height measured at the Gonion point was greater in CBCT images in comparsion to panoramic images. However, no difference in the thickness of the mandibular cortex was observed at the Gonion point between the two imaging systems.