Role of Panoramic Radiographs in the Detection of Osteoporosis

Abstract

A study was conducted with 110 subjects to determine whether panoramic-based indices, mandibular cortical thickness (MCT) and Panoramic mandibular index (PMI) could be used as a diagnostic tool to differentiate normal from osteoporotic patient. Both the indices correlated significantly with bone mineral density. It was concluded that using MCT was simple with no calculations. The findings on an OPG will definitely help the dentists to identify patients with undetected low BMD and refer them to medical professionals for bone densitometry. This will help a dentist to plan the treatment accordingly for removable, fixed partial denture or implants.