Accuracy of digital panoramic radiographs on the vertical measurements of dental implants

Abstract

Objectives: Panoramic radiography (PR) is the most commonly used technique to evaluate the dental and associated structures. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of panoramic radiographs (PRDs) in planning of dental implant treatment and the magnification rate of a panoramic device for anterior, premolar and posterior regions.Materials and Methods: Eighty-eight patients, who received PRD after implant surgery, were included to the study. A total of 240 dental implants (53 anterior, 69 premolar, and 118 molar regions) of which previously vertical lengths were known, were re-measured on post-operative radiographic images using the scaling tools of the panoramic system to determine the magnification rate and the accuracy of PRDs. Cause the data had normal distribution, the paired t test was used for the statistical analysis (p<0.05). The magnification rate of the three regions was calculated as the rate of measured vertical length of the implants to the actual vertical length of the implants. Results: Statistically significant difference was found between the actual and measured vertical length of the implants on the PRD (p<0.05). However, the correlation rate was found close to 1 for all regions. The difference between the actual and measured vertical length of the implants on the PRD was 0.50 mm for the anterior region, 0.97 mm for the premolar region, and 0.83 mm for the molar region. The magnification rate of the panoramic system corrected by CliniviewTM (Instrumentarium Corp., Tuusula, FINLAND) software was found around 1 for all the regions. Conclusions: Due to their readily accessible nature and low radiation dose, PRDs can be used in implant surgery for vertical measurements with 1 mm confidence interval.