Precision evaluation of panoramic morphometric index measurements performed by experienced clinicians and dental students

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a chronic degenerative disease of bones in which the primary type of it affects generally women after postmenopause. According to the literature the panoramic indices are valuable morphometric and visual tools to detect the disorder in an early and asymptomatic stage. The goals of study were to evaluate the reproducibility of mandibular cortical and panoramic indices and to assess population-specific index parameters. Panoramic radiographs of 50 osteoporotic (age = 65,1 ± 5,9) and 36 control (age = 66,4 ± 7,1) women were evaluated for the cortical (MCI) and panora-
mic (PMI) indices by 2 experienced clinicians and 40 dental students with basic clinical experiences. Statistical analysis of data was preformed using SPSS software. The result of MCI and PMI indexes demonstrated high interobserv-
er agreement between the two clinicians but in MCI data, recorded by the clinicians and students, showed statistically significant differences. On the other hand the mean and threshold values of the indices proved to be different from what we had expected from other surveys. Although the panoramic images are taken for specific dental indications that would improve the screening efficiency of osteoporosis when the clinician recognizes the signs of it on the radiographs.