Mandibular Radiomorphometric Analysis in Patients With Different Stages of Periodontitis

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to evaluate a possible change in the mandibular trabecular structure of patients diagnosed with different stages of periodontitis and to compare them with gingivitis and periodontally healthy individuals. Methods: The periodontal diagnosis of 180 patients (90 females and 90 males) was made based on the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-implant Diseases and Conditions. The patients were divided into six groups: periodontally healthy (n=30), gingivitis (n=30), Stage I (n=30), Stage II (n=30), Stage III (n=30), and Stage IV (n=30) periodontitis.Seven regions of interest (ROIs) were determined for fractal analysis (FA) on panoramic radiographs. Fractal dimension (FD) and mandibular cortical width (MCW) were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the study population was 30.64±7.48 years. No statistically significant difference was observed among the groups in terms of FD. There was a statistically significant difference in gender distribution only for the MCW value (p<.05), and this value was found to be higher in male participants (23.87±4.59 mm vs. 22.50±3.75 mm). Although significant correlations were found between FD values of different regions (anterior FD, premolar FD, molar FD, angulus FD, and total FD), FD was not significantly correlated with age. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that FA calculated from panoramic radiographic images of periodontally healthy patients, gingivitis and different stages of periodontitis shows comparable results and indicates no superiority.