Comparing panoramic mandibular radiomorphometric indices between osteoporotic and healthy women in Rafsanjan, Iran, 2018

Radiomorphometric indices obtained from panoramic radiography are used to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate osteoporosis. Given the importance of early diagnosing osteoporosis.The present study was conducted to compare osteoporotic and healthy women in Rafsanjan, Iran in terms of mandibular radiomorphometric indices obtained from their panoramic radiographs.

This descriptive cross-sectional study examined 212 subjects, including 53 osteoporotic women and a control group comprising 159 women presenting to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, School of Dentistry, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran .The participants were investigated by performing radiographic imaging using a digital panoramic system (Planmeca Promax, Helsinki, Finland). The radiographic data recorded on each image included radiomorphometric indices such as mandibular cortical index(MCI),  antegonial index (AI) and gonial index(GI). The data collected from the checklists were analyzed in SPSS-22.

The osteoporotic patients were not significantly different from the controls in terms of AI. The mean GI was significantly higher in the osteoporotic women than in the women in the control group. Investigating MCI showed that category C1 was significantly higher in the controls than in the osteoporotic women, whereas category C2 was higher in the osteoporotic group than in the controls.

The present findings revealed that GI and MCI obtained from panoramic radiographs can be used to diagnose osteoporosis and differentiate osteoporotic patients from healthy individuals. Although the indices were affected by age in both groups, differences in the indices between the patients and controls were insignificant in the same age group.