Panoramic roentgenograms compared with conventional intraoral roentgenograms

Abstract

T heoretically, panoramic x-ray films present more information through greater area coverage than do conventional intraoral x-ray films. Because of their lack of detail, however, panoramic roentgenograms have been considered by previous investigators to be diagnostically inferior to intraoral roentgenograms.*-3 Those investigators concluded that the panoramic films are better suited for mass screening surveys, for the detection of gross pathoses, and for identification purposes rather than for the detection of carious lesions.4 In previous studies, the panoramic films were compared to intraoral surveys which included bitewing films. If posterior interproximal caries is detected primarily in posterior bitewing films, it might be possible, by including these bitewing films with the panoramic film, to make a diagnostic survey comparable to the intraoral survey with bitewing films. If the resultant diagnoses by the two methods are the same or nearly the same, then the panoramic method could be preferred on the basis of greater area coverage, less radiation exposure to the patient and dentist,5 and time saved in producing a complete dental x-ray survey.3* 4 The primary purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic interpretations made from a panoramict roentgenogram with the addition of two posterior bitewing films to the diagnostic interpretations made from an intraoral survey of fourteen periapical and two posterior bitewing films. A secondary purpose was to establish any difference in production time between the panoramic and the intraoral x-ray survey techniques. -This investigation was supported by the United States Army Medical Research and Devcllopment Command, Department of the Army, under Research Contract DA-49-193-MD2561. *‘Associate Professor, Coordinator of Research. *“Clinical Instructor. fPanorex XRM Model Pan 2, X-ray Manufacturing Corporation of America, Inc., Great Neck, N.Y.