Original scientific paper
The Influence of Gender and Age on the Values of Linear Radiomorphometric Indices Measured on the Lower Border of the Mandible
Ivona Musa
Dubravka Knezović-Zlatarić
Asja Čelebić
Andrija Bošnjak
Abstract
Osteopenia (bone loss, first symptom of osteoporosis) can be identified radiographically - by a reduction in radiopacity of bone measuring the bone density or by observation of thinned cortices, porosity of the cortices, or changes in trabecular pattern on dental panoramic radiographs (DPRs). The objective of this study was to measure mental, antegonial and gonial radiomorphometric indices of the mandible on 200 DPRs taking into account age and gender of the participants. Three indices: cortical width at the gonion (GI), antegonion (AI) and below the mental foramen (MI) were measured at the lower border of the mandible, bilaterally on 200 DPRs. The reliability of the measurements (p= 0.89 for a dental student, p=0.93 for a dentist) and agreement between the observers (= 0.81) were satisfactory. The results of the study revealed significant difference between GI measured on the left and right side of the mandible (p<0.001). Male patients demonstrated significantly higher measured values for MI than female patients (p<0.001), and finally, female patients older than 65 years showed significantly lower measured AI values than those younger than 65 years. Based on the results of this study, we conclude that the DPR is useful as a simple method of screening patients for evaluation of mandibular bone quality prior to dental treatment.
Keywords
linear radiomorphometric index; osteopenia; mandible
Hrčak ID:
3696
URI
Publication date:
15.6.2002.
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