title: Reliability of panoramic radiography in determination of neurosensory disturbances related to dental implant placement in posterior mandible.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During implantology procedures, one of the most serious complications is the damage of the inferior alveolar nerve, which may result in neurosensory disturbances (NSD). Panoramic radiographs have been considered for a primary evaluation to determine the bone height and implant-mandibular canal distance.
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand five hundred ninety-seven panoramic radiographs of patients, who were treated with 3608 dental implants in Erciyes University, Oral and Maxillofacial Hospital between 2007 and 2012, were examined. Forty-eight implants were determined to be near the mandibular canal using a 2-dimensional software program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 48 implants were closer than 2 mm to the mandibular canal. A range of 0 to 1.9 mm distance was detected between the mandibular canal and these implants. Fourteen implants (29.16%) placed in a distance less than 1 mm to the mandibular canal, and 34 (70.83%) between 1 and 2 mm. One patient had NSD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Determination of the dental implant length using panoramic radiography is a reliable technique to prevent neurosensory complications. However computed tomography or cone-beam computed tomography based planning of dental implants may be required for borderline cases.
authors.affiliation: *Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey. †Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey. ‡Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nükhet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kütük
authors.forename: Zeynep Burçin
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Gönen
authors.forename: M Taha
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Yaşar
authors.forename: Ahmet Emin
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Demirbaş
authors.forename: Alper
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alkan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D061221:Trigeminal Nerve Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants