title: Ponticulus posticus on the posterior arch of atlas, prevalence analysis in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients of gulbarga population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence and morphological features of Ponticulus Posticus (PP) in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients of Gulbarga population, to substantiate whether ponticulus posticus was the possible cause of chronic tension-type headaches and migraine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred patients were investigated with digital lateral cephalograms for the presence and type of ponticulus posticus. All the patients in whom ponticulus posticus was present in either partial or complete form were further studied for symptoms like chronic tension type headache, orofacial pain or diagnosed migraine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the sample of 500 cases, partial ponticulus posticus was found in 302 patients (60%) (Males 48% and Females 52%). Complete variant was found in 40 cases (8%) (Males 65% and females 35% both, who were in the age group of 16-45 years), with a mean age of 28 years and SD 27.76 ±10.74. In partial PP, 42 patients (14%) were found to be symptomatic. In complete form, 32 patients (78%) were found to be symptomatic. Symptoms were mainly in the form of migraine or chronic type of headache.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to our study, partial form of PP was found to be more prevalent as compared to complete form in Gulbarga population and complete form of ponticulus posticus can be considered as possible cause for chronic tension type headache, orofacial pain and migraine.
authors.affiliation: Reader, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Al-Badar Rural Dental College & Hospital , Karnatka, India .
authors.forename: Parita K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Chitroda
authors.affiliation: Professor & HOD, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Al-Badar Rural Dental College & Hospital , Karnatka, India .
authors.forename: Girish
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Katti
authors.affiliation: PG Student, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Al-Badar Rural Dental College & Hospital , Karnatka, India .
authors.forename: Irfan A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.affiliation: Senior lecturer, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Al-Badar Rural Dental College & Hospital , Karnatka, India .
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Najmudin
authors.affiliation: Senior lecturer, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Al-Badar Rural Dental College & Hospital , Karnatka, India .
authors.forename: Sreenivas Rao
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ghali
authors.affiliation: PG Student, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Al-Badar Rural Dental College & Hospital , Karnatka, India .
authors.forename: Bhuvaneshwari
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kalmath
authors.affiliation: PG Student, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Al-Badar Rural Dental College & Hospital , Karnatka, India .
authors.forename: Vijay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: G
keywords: Cervical spine; Diagnosed Migraine; Lateral Cephalogram; Ponticulus Posticus (PP)