Evaluation of the Frequency of Incidental Findings on Digital Panoramic Radiographs of Referrals to Maxillofacial Radiology Department of Yazd Dental School in 2019

Early treatment of dental anomalies and oral/dental lesions can prevent maxillofacial abnormalities and other complications. Since in most cases these lesions are asymptomatic, they are often discovered randomly in different radiographic images. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the incidental findings on digital panoramic radiographs of referrals to Maxillofacial Radiology Department of Yazd Dental School.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 1949 panoramic radiographs of patients referred to the Department of Maxillofacial Radiology of Yazd Dental School in Apr 2019_ Apr 2020 were studied. Age, gender, type of lesion / anomaly, position and jaw involved were recorded in the study information form. Data analysis was performed via SPSS16 statistical software and Chi-square test.

A total of 2915 lesions / anomalies were diagnosed. The frequency of these lesions / anomalies was higher in men (57.5%), middle-aged people (48.6%), mandible (69.3%) and left side of the jaws (76.8%). There was a statistically significant difference in the presence of lesion / anomaly in terms of age, sex, side and jaw involved (P-value = 0.0001).

Considering the frequency of random findings in panoramic radiographs, it seems that this radiography is useful for detecting many lesions and dental anomalies in the initial examination of patients. It is recommended that dentists examine the radiographs more carefully.