FRACTAL ANALYSIS OF MANDIBULAR BONE AFTER HEAD AND NECK RADIOTHERAPY: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

<h3>Objectives</h3> To compare the fractal dimension of mandibular bone before and after head and neck radiotherapy. <h3>Study Design</h3> Ethics approval. Patients submitted to radiotherapy in the head and neck were included. Exclusion criteria were unavailable panoramic radiographs, use of bisphosphonates, radiation dose <60 Gy or >70 Gy, and history of osteoradionecrosis. One panoramic radiograph before radiotherapy and 1 after radiotherapy were evaluated. Fractal analysis was done in 6 mandibular regions: condyle (right/left), angle (right/left), and mental foramen (right/left). Results were expressed as median values. Wilcoxon test was performed and <i>P</i> values < .05 were considered significant. <h3>Results</h3> Eighteen patients were included, including 16 males (88.9%), with a mean age of 55.9 ± 11.4. Tumors were mainly located in the oral cavity (6/18, 33.3%) and oropharynx (5/18, 27.8%). Mean radiation dose was 67.4 Gy ± 3.3. There was no statistically significant difference (<i>P</i> > .05) in the median values of fractal dimension before and after radiotherapy in any of the 6 regions evaluated. <h3>Conclusions</h3> In this pilot study, the fractal dimension of the mandibular bone did not seem to be altered by head and neck radiotherapy.