title: Case study: limitations of panoramic radiography in the anterior mandible.
abstract: Dental Panoramic Tomography (DPT) is a widely used and valuable examination in dentistry. One area prone to artefacts and therefore misinterpretation is the anterior region of the mandible. This case study discusses a periapical radiolucency related to lower anterior teeth that is discovered to be a radiographic artefact. Possible causes of the artefact include a pronounced depression in the mental region of the mandible or superimposition of intervertebral spaces. Additional limitations of the DPT image include superimposition of radio-opaque structures, reduced image detail compared to intra-oral views and uneven magnification. These problems often make the DPT inappropriate for imaging the anterior mandible.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Panoramic radiography is often unsuitable for radiographic examination of the anterior mandible.
authors.affiliation: Dundee Dental Hospital, Park Place, Dundee, UK.
authors.forename: Cameron
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McKenna
mesh_terms: D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016477:Artifacts; D055113:Chronic Periodontitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010483:Periapical Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016300:Radiography, Bitewing; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D012391:Root Resorption / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014056:Tomography, X-Ray