Screening panoramic radiographs in children: prevalence data and implications

The purpose of this paper was to review the rationale for the radiographic screening of asymptomatic pediatric patients and to report the prevalence of selected pathologic and developmental conditions using panoramic radiographs. Three observers participated in this retrospective study that utilized panoramic radiographs from 849 subjects, aged 3-9 years, chosen randomly from the School of Dentistry treatment records of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Findings indicated that 2.4% of the subjects had supernumerary teeth, 7.8% were missing permanent teeth, 9.1% had ectopic eruption, 0.1% had radiolucencies of the jaws, and 0.1% had radiopacities of the jaws. These prevalences are discussed in light of recent evidence concerning the risk/benefit ratio of the panoramic radiograph. We conclude that the panoramic radiograph is a poor projection for screening the dental needs of asymptomatic healthy children; alternative screening protocols should be examined.