title: The presence of calcifications along the course of internal carotid artery in Greek and Brazilian populations: a comparative and retrospective cone beam CT data analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to retrospectively compare the prevalence of soft tissue calcifications (STCs) depicted incidentally along the extra- and intracranial course of the internal carotid artery (ICA) on cone beam computed tomography examinations in 2 different populations (Greeks and Brazilians).
  
  
  METHODS
  The cohort consisted of examinations of 232 Greeks and 174 Brazilians, for a total of 406 patients. The scans were evaluated for the presence of STCs along the course of the ICA, with data analyzed in each ethnic group according to gender and age criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 355 STCs were recorded; 78 (22.0% of all STCs) and 58 (16.3%) were extracranials, and 128 (36.1%) and 91 (25.6%) were intracranials for Greeks and Brazilians, respectively. The χ(2) test indicated no statistical differences between Greeks and Brazilians in the occurrence of STCs; however, their prevalence differed between genders in those populations. The presence of lesions, both extra- and intracranially, was found to increase with age (P < .05). The odds ratios were estimated at 2.23 (95% CI, 1.81-2.74) and 3.26 (95% CI, 2.56-4.16) for extracranial and intracranial lesions, respectively, with increasing age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found an equal distribution for both extra- and intracranial STCs among Greeks and Brazilians. The prevalence of lesions differed between genders within both populations. Aging was found to be a risk factor for STCs, as the odds ratio increased significantly.
authors.affiliation: Surgery and Orthopaedic Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil; Oral Radiology Department, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Heraldo L D
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: da Silveira
authors.affiliation: Oral Radiology Department, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, School of Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: s.damaskos@acta.nl.
authors.forename: Spyros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Damaskos
authors.affiliation: Surgery and Orthopaedic Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nàdia A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Arús
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, School of Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsiklakis
authors.affiliation: Oral Radiology Department, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Erwin W R
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Berkhout
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology