Prevalence and Pattern of Stylohyoid Chain Complex on Panoramic Radiographs: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Objective: The elongated styloid process (SP) and calcified stylohyoid ligament can be evaluated radiologically and are associated with some symptoms and syndromes. This study aimed to define the incidence of different stylohyoid chain patterns and classify them.
 Methods: Digital panoramic radiographs of 1217 patients were included in the study. The styloid chain patterns were analyzed according to MacDonald-Jankowski’s study. Data analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program. 
 Descriptive values were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. The data were assessed by using Chi-squared tests. A probability level of less than .05 (p ˂ .05) was considered significant.
 Results: The prevalence of the stylohyoid chain complex patterns was higher for normal SP (86.5%), followed by elongated SP (7.1%), calcified stylohyoid ligament (2.2%), and absent stylohyoid chain (2.8%). Unclassified SP was detected in twenty individuals on the left (1.6%) and fourteen on the right (1.2%). In view of symmetry of the stylohyoid chain complex, 979 (80.4%) were symmetric, 238 (19.6%) were asymmetric and 14 (1.15%) of the asymmetrical ones were unilateral. There was no significant difference in gender for the type of stylohyoid chain complex pattern (p > .05). There was statistically significant difference between the stylohyoid complex pattern and age groups for the right and left 
 sides (p < .05).
 Conclusion: The authors believe that this study provides additional information about the frequency of the elongated styloid process and provides valuable knowledge of the anatomical variations of the SP. Current findings should be correlated with clinical symptoms in future studies