title: Panoramic radiographs made before complete removable dental prostheses fabrication: A retrospective study of clinical significance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The value of digital panoramic radiographs to screen for problems before fabricating conventional complete dentures is unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the influence of pretreatment digital panoramic radiographs on the clinical management of patients receiving complete removable dental prostheses.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical records, including panoramic radiographs, of 169 patients seeking new complete removable dental prostheses over a 6-year period were interpreted independently by both a prosthodontist and an oral and maxillofacial radiologist to identify radiographic findings that influenced clinical patient management. A 95% confidence interval and an observed proportion of agreement were used to interpret the results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty percent of the 169 radiographs examined had 1 or more abnormal or positive radiographic findings; however, only 6 (<4%) of 165 abnormalities detected influenced patient management, and 3 of them were identified during the clinical examination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pretreatment digital panoramic radiographs revealed very few abnormalities that influenced the treatment of patients requiring complete removable dental prostheses. Furthermore, the digital images in this study revealed positive findings at a rate similar to those found in studies assessing analog radiographs, reinforcing current guidelines that recommend against radiographic screening of patients who seek new complete removable dental prostheses.
authors.affiliation: Private practice, Victoria, BC, Canada. Electronic address: richkratz@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kratz
authors.affiliation: Professor Emeritus, Division of Prosthodontics and Dental Geriatrics, Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Joanne N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.affiliation: Professor Emeritus, Division of Prosthodontics and Dental Geriatrics, Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: MacEntee
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Division of Prosthodontics and Dental Geriatrics, Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry, Vancouver, BC, Canada; and Provincial Practice Leader in Prosthodontics, Department of Dentistry and Oral Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Caroline T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor and Chair, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Department of Oral, Biological and Medical Sciences, University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: MacDonald
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003824:Denture, Complete; D003832:Denture, Partial, Removable; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies