Panoramic Radiography as a Diagnostic Tool for the Evaluation of the Osteoporosis: A systematic review

Abstract

Purpose­­­: To systematically review the diagnosis of osteoporosis by means of panoramic radiography. Materials and methods: An electronic search was performed in PubMed and Cochrane databases limited to English articles published from the year 1990 until August 2012. Studies were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The indices in the panoramic radiograph and their normal values, as well as specificity and sensitivity of them in the diagnosis of osteoporosis, were evaluated. Results: Among the 2460 articles, 40 were included. Although most of these studies indicated correspondence between radiographic indices and the reduction in bone density, some found no correlation between panoramic radiographic indices and osteoporosis. Mandibular cortical width (MCW) and mandibular cortical index (MCI) were the most studied indices in the diagnosis of osteoporosis. Conclusions: Considering the results of this study, panoramic radiography can be beneficial in the diagnosis of the reduction in bone density and osteoporosis in a dental office setting.

Keywords

• osteoporosis
• mandible
• panoramic radiography
• postmenopausal women