title: Does the state of dentition effect the type of stylohyoid chain calcification pattern?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The human stylohyoid chain calcification patterns (SCP) present considerable anatomic variability. This study was performed to investigate the calcification on SCP in the dentate and total edentulous population and its relation to mandibular protrusive movement.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study analyzed 1.234 SCP in digital panoramic radiographs of 617 subjects. The SCP were classified according to Mac Donald-Jankowski. The amount of mandibular protrusion movement limitation was evaluated for each subject. The data were analyzed using one-way Anova, Kruskall Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, and Chi-squared tests with significance set at p = 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 617 subjects evaluated there was symmetry of the SCP between the left and right sides in 87.3 % of the cases. In the study population 501 subjects were dentate (Class I, Class II, Class III molar relationship) and 116 subjects were total edentulous. There were significant differences among dentate and total edentulous patients for the distribution of SCP (p < 0.05). Elongated group was more prevalent in total edentulous subjects while in subjects with Class I occlusion normal SCP was observed. Although mandibular protrusive movement range was within normal limits for all the groups, calcified and elongated groups have numerically less protrusive movement compared to normal groups (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among dentate and total edentulous subjects, similarity in SCP for right and left side was observed. The elongation of SCP was more common in the total edentulous group. Further studies conducted on larger populations are necessary to establish the effect of the state of dentition on the SCP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gulcan Coskun
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Akar
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology School of Dentistry, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Esin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alpoz
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, 35100, Izmir, Turkey. figen.govsa@ege.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Figen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Govsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology School of Dentistry, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gunnur
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lomcali
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic; D003817:Dentition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dentate; Elongated styloid process; Stylohyoid chain; Styloid process; Total edentulous