Evaluation of trabecular bone changes in patients with periodontitis using fractal analysis: A periapical radiography study.

Abstract

The present study was aimed to evaluate the trabecular bone changes between healthy individuals and periodontitis patients with fractal dimension analysis on digital periapical radiographs. Data from 35 healthy and 35 individuals with periodontitis were confirmed from the database of our faculty and included in the study. Two regions of interest (ROI) were selected belonging to mesial and distal region of mandibular first molar on periapical radiographs. The mean fractal dimension (FD) values of two regions were calculated with using box-counting method. Student t test was used for the comparison of the FDs. The mean FD of individuals with periodontitis was 0.97, whereas it was 1.04 for the healthy group. The mean FD values were significantly higher in the healthy group (P<0.05). In the periodontitis group, as the FD of mesial interdental bone increased, the FD of distal interdental bone increased significantly (P<0.05). Because of FD numerically showing changes in bone trabeculation, changes in the alveolar bone can be detected quantitatively.