title: Pilot study: digital subtraction radiography as a tool to assess alveolar bone changes in periodontitis patients under treatment with subantimicrobial doses of doxycycline.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Subtle changes in marginal alveolar bone level can be demonstrated using digital subtraction of sequential radiographs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to evaluate the practical application of geometrically corrected digital subtraction in a clinical study of alveolar bone response to a drug previously shown to inhibit alveolar bone loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  Selected periapical radiographs were acquired with projective standardization of patients with clinical marginal alveolar bone loss. Subsequently, patients received a 6-month regimen of subantimicrobial doxycycline or placebo. Standardized radiographs of the same alveolar regions were acquired after 3 and 6 months, and baseline radiographs were subtracted from these images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blinded digital subtraction analysis indicated various levels of marginal bone gain in 3 of the 6 patients in the experimental group, whereas in 3 of the 5 placebo patients the method showed bone loss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that geometrically corrected digital subtraction possibly agrees with clinical predictors of bone loss severity.
authors: Department of General Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York-Stony Brook, New York, USA.
authors: Arthur D
authors: AD
authors: Goren
authors: Stanley M
authors: SM
authors: Dunn
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Wolff
authors: Paul F
authors: PF
authors: van der Stelt
authors: Dan C
authors: DC
authors: Colosi
authors: Lorne M
authors: LM
authors: Golub
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D055113:Chronic Periodontitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019252:Radiography, Dental, Digital / Q000379:methods*; D013382:Subtraction Technique
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004318:Doxycycline