Fractal dimension analysis of periapical reactive bone in response to root canal treatment.
OBJECTIVE
Mathematical morphology and box counting were used to extract trabecular pattern and to evaluate changes of reactive bone following root canal treatment.


METHODS
Periapical radiographs were digitized and processed with mathematical morphology operations known as skeletonization. The trabecular patterns resulting from this skeletonization process were further analyzed with fractal dimension (FD) analysis using the box-counting method. Two groups of regions of interest (ROI) were selected from 19 subjects for the analysis.


RESULTS
Seventeen patients in one group and 13 patients in the other showed decreased FD in the reactive bone region after clinically successful root canal treatment (RCT). Significant changes in FD were noted 6 months after RCT (P < .05). Kappa analysis indicated significant reproducibility between the 2 groups of ROIs.


CONCLUSIONS
Mathematical morphology combined with box counting showed decrease of FD in reactive bone regions after clinically successful endodontic treatment.
Yu
Yen-Yun
YY
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine and Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1 Sec. 4 Roosevelt Road, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chen
Hsieh
H
Lin
Chi-Hao
CH
Chen
Chung-Ming
CM
Oviir
Tina
T
Chen
Ssu-Kuang
SK
Hollender
Lars
L
D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003790:Dental Pulp Necrosis / Q000628:therapy; D017709:Fractals; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D010000:Osteitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010485:Periapical Periodontitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D019252:Radiography, Dental, Digital; D012390:Root Canal Therapy