title: Measurement of mandibular bone mineral content using the dental panoramic tomogram.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine whether bone mineral content could be estimated densitometrically using dental panoramic tomograms. A nickel stepwedge was attached to the film cassette to give a reference image on the radiographs. Four mandibles were radiographed and the optical density of a number of sites on the bone images measured. The calcium and phosphate content of the mandibles at these sites was measured by chemical analysis, using 3 mm diameter full thickness cores. The radiographically derived equivalent nickel thickness of the mandibular test sites was significantly correlated with calcium content (r = 0.62. P = 0.013), phosphate content (r = 0.633, P = 0.011), and dry bone weight (r = 0.541, P = 0.036), provided correction for soft tissue thickness was made. A clinical study is justified to determine whether the technique has sufficient accuracy to provide sequential data on individual patients and whether it may useful as a simple method of screening patients for mandibular osteoporosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Dentistry, University Dental Hospital of Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Devlin
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horner
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D015519:Bone Density; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008334:Mandible / Q000737:chemistry / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009532:Nickel; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D014056:Tomography, X-Ray
chemical_list: D009532:Nickel; D002118:Calcium