An evaluation of panoramic radiograph to assess mandibular asymmetry as compared to posteroanterior cephalogram

Abstract

Aim and Objectives To assess the reliability of orthopantomograms (OPGs) in detecting facial asymmetry. Materials and Methods The OPGs and posteroanterior cephalograms for 10 patients with facial asymmetry were obtained from the outpatient department of the dental college. These radiographs were traced and analyzed. Six measurements (four linear and two angular measurements) were made on both sides. Asymmetry was defined by subtracting the right and the left side measurements. The differences from OPG were compared to those obtained from posteroanterior cephalograms. The kappa statistics and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to calculate the differences. Results The ICC was calculated between OPGs and posteroanterior cephalograms difference measurements. The class interval for all measurements was noted between 0.61 and 0.84. The ICC was 0.7861, which shows strong correlation between the values (P < 0.0005) by probability 10−5, within 95%, coefficient correlation lies between 0.61 and 0.84. Kappa test gives a value of 0.64, which shows strong agreement between the measurements. Conclusion Individually, the measurements from OPGs may not be reliable but the obtained difference between the values of the OPGs and the posteroanterior cephalograms are comparable in nature and show strong correlation and can be used to detect facial asymmetry.