Assessment of alveolar bone loss and angular bony defects on panoramic radiographs

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and severity of alveolar bone loss and angular bony defects in randomly selected panoramic radiographs. A total of 500 panoramic radiographs of adult patients seeking dental care were studied. The mean age of the subjects was 51 years (range 20-80). The assessments of alveolar bone levels and angular bony defects were performed by direct measurements of the distance between the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) and bone level. The results demonstrated a gradual and significant increase in the frequency of bone loss with increasing age (p<0.05). Angular bony defects were found in 249 subjects (49.8 %) and were most frequent at the mandibular first molar. The mean depth of the angular bony defects was 6.0 mm with the greatest mean depth in the maxillary anterior area (6.8 mm). The mean mesiodistal depth of the intrabony defects was 2.44 mm, most pronounced in maxillary molars (3.1 mm). In conclusion, the study demonstrated a high prevalence of angular bony defects suitable for regenerative periodontal treatment.