title: The prevalence of foreign bodies in jaw bones on panoramic radiography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Foreign bodies can be deposited in the oral cavity either by traumatic or iatrogenic injury. The most common foreign bodies of iatrogenic origin encountered are restorative materials, like amalgam, and root canal fillings. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of foreign bodies detected with panoramic radiography in the jawbones, as well as to evaluate the etiology and characteristics of these pathologies.
  
  
  METHODS
  From March 2012 to January 2014, 11,144 panoramic radiographs were taken and retrospectively reviewed. The number, characteristics, location of the foreign bodies, age, and gender of the patients were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 11,144 patients reviewed, 62 of them have a foreign body with a frequency of 0.6%. The patients who had a foreign body were between 14 and 81 years old. Female patients showed more foreign bodies than male patients. Among the 62 patients, 63 filling materials, one stapler, and five shrapnel were detected. Only 8 patients had symptoms associated with foreign bodies and these foreign bodies excised surgically.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If possible, these pathologies must be removed at the time of detection to prevent further complications; however, in asymptomatic cases, according to location and the characteristic of the foreign body, they can be kept under observation without performing any operations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Ordu University, 52100 Ordu, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Melih
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Omezli
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Ordu University, 52100 Ordu, Turkey.
authors.forename: Damla
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Torul
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Ordu University, 52100 Ordu, Turkey.
authors.forename: Efe Can
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Sivrikaya
keywords: Foreign bodies; panoramic radiography; prevalence