Fractal Dimension Approach for Quantitative Analysis Radiograph in Periapical Inflammation: A Systematic Review

Periapical inflammation on visual interpretation, especially in conditions of early inflammation, is very dependent on visual acuity. Visual ability can only detect if the inflammatory condition in the periapical area is more than 30%. This study reviewed the use of fractal dimension (FD) for quantitative assessment radiographs in periapical inflammation.

The search was performed using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. The inclusion criteria were clinical research, the area was in the periapical inflammation, used the periapical radiograph, measured the fractal dimension in human bone, the article studies were in the English language. There was no restriction for publication date.

Five articles were found in which fractal dimension was applied for the assessment of periapical lesions visually indiscernible in radiographs, for evaluation of apical inflammation, for imaging diagnosis of the periapical lesion, for analysis of trabecular bone, and for analysis of trabecular bone structure around the bone of periapical inflammation. Various sizes and sites of the regions of interest were used to evaluate the bone structure of periapical inflammation with fractal dimension.

Fractal dimension in Dentistry has been widely applied to the study of images. Periapical radiographs were the most frequently used. The Image J software and the fractal analysis method were extensively adopted in the studies reviewed herein. Further studies are encouraged to improve the use of fractal dimension in assessing quantitative radiographs in periapical inflammation.