title: Correlating the clinical assessment of impacted mandibular third molars with panoramic radiograph and intraoral periapical radiograph.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to compare the clinical assessment of impacted third molars of mandible with panaromic radiograph (OPG) and intraoral periapical radiograph (IOPA) and to assess the efficacy of IOPA and. Moreover, we corroborated the OPG and IOPA findings of impacted mandiblar third molar root apex to inferior alveolar canal.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 200 patients with pericoronitis were examined who were indicated for surgical extraction, among which 50 patients were selected for the study. All the patients underwent a radiographic survey with a digital OPG and IOPA of impacted mandibular third molars, along with clinical survey for anatomic relationship, type of impaction, space available, position in relation to second molar, number of roots, root curvature, and proximity of nerve canal. The data was subjected to statistical analysis. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 4.0.1 software was used for analyzing the collected data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study revealed that IOPA was more accurate in determining a majority of the factors affecting the third molar surgery, including relationship of the external oblique ridge (IOPA vs OPG = 96%:90%), anteroposterior relation with ramus (IOPA vs OPG = 70%:66%), vertical depth of impaction (IOPA vs OPG = 72%:68%), number of roots (P= 0.013), morphology of roots (IOPA vs OPG = 96%:90%); however, OPG was found to be accurate in evaluating the type of impaction (IOPA vs OPG = 88%:94%), canal relation, along with root of impacted molar (IOPA vs OPG = 74%:86%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To conclude, although IOPA has a marginal angle over OPG in assessing various parameters, only the number of roots have a greater accuracy (P< 0.0013) in IOPA than with OPG. However, the OPG is the better choice to be considered when the patient is associated with trismus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Surgery, Sri Venkateshwara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupathi, AndhraPradesh, India.
authors.forename: P Vani
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Priya
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Prince Sattam Abdul Aziz University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Fazil A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Nasyam
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Surgery, Sri Venkateshwara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupathi, AndhraPradesh, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramprasad
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Prince Sattam Abdul Aziz University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Narendra V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Penumatsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Daswani Dental College, Kota, Rajasthan, India.
authors.forename: Syed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akifuddin
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, C.K.S. Teja Institrute of Dental Sciences, Tirupathi, AndhraPradesh, India.
authors.lastname: Sandeep
keywords: Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT); external oblique ridge; impacted mandibular third molar; inferior alveolar nerve canal; intraoral periapical radiograph (IOPA); panoramic radiograph (OPG); ramus