Prevalence of pneumatization of the articular eminence and glenoid fossa viewed on cone-beam computed tomography examinations in a Turkish sample

Assessment of thickness of roof of the glenoid fossa in dentate, edentulous, and partially edentulous subjects using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) - a retrospective study

OBJECTIVES

Studies have inferred a direct association between Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) and the integrity of the structures associated with it such as the Glenoid fossa thereby necessitating the requirement to measure the thickness of this oft ignored entity. This study was carried out to assess the thickness of the glenoid fossa roof in dentulous, edentulous, and partially edentulous subjects using archival Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images.

METHOD

Analysis of CBCT data of 120 joints from 60 adult subjects without signs and symptoms of TMD was carried out. The scans were grouped based on the dental status as dentulous, edentulous, and partially edentulous and additionally into two sets as those below and above 40 years of age. The distance between the superior and inferior cortices of the glenoid fossa was measured indicating the thickness of the roof of the glenoid fossa in the coronal and sagittal planes, by three independent observers. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's post hoc test were used to compare the association between the mean thickness of the glenoid fossa and the dentition status. A p ≤ 0.05 was considered to be significant.

RESULTS

There was no significant association between the mean thickness of the glenoid fossa and the dentition of the study participants of all three groups, when assessed by the three observers, except the mean thickness on the right side in the sagittal section as measured by one observer. A thicker fossa was observed in edentulous subjects when compared to dentulous participants, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.035).

CONCLUSION

The thickness of the roof of the glenoid fossa demonstrated no association with the dental status of the study participants and no age or sex related differences were noted.

Articular eminence pneumatization in patients with different sagittal skeletal patterns: Cone-beam computed tomography study

Objectives:

This study objectives to evaluate the type and degree of articular eminence pneumatization in individuals with different sagittal skeletal patterns.

Material and Methods:

Cone-beam computed tomography images of 139 patients were included in the study. The population was divided into groups according to their sagittal skeletal anomalies by A point-nasion-B point angle measurement. The laterality, grade, and type of pneumatization were recorded. Pearson Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were performed to evaluate gender, sagittal skeletal anomalies, pneumatization type, and grade.

Results:

A pneumatized articular eminence (PAT) was found in 74.8% of the population. Grade 1 pneumatization and the multilocular type where the most common pneumatization. There were no correlations between sagittal skeletal anomalies and pneumatization grades.

Conclusion:

The prevalence of PAT was high concerning the previous studies. However, there were no correlations between the sagittal skeletal anomalies, pneumatization type, and grade. Clinicians must always be aware of the potential for pneumatizations as they may cause untoward complications.

Evaluation of Location of Canalis Sinuosus in the Maxilla Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography

Background/Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of a canalis sinuosus (CS) in the anterior maxilla.

Material and Methods: CBCT images of 673 patients (322 females and 351 males) were examined retrospectively with regard to age, gender, location of CS and relation to impacted canines. The age of the patients ranged from 14 to 82 years; the mean age of the female patients was 43.54 years and that of the males was 45.75 years. IBM SPSS 22 for Windows was used for statistical analysis of the results. Statistical comparisons between two categorical variables were conducted using chi-square tests. Significance was set at (p< 0.05).

Results: It was observed that 8.17% of the patients in this study exhibited accessory canals (AC) of CS (n= 55). There was no significant difference in CS prevalence between ages, age groups, and location in our study (p> 0.5). There was significant difference in CS prevalence between the genders (p< 0.5).

Conclusions: It is important to take into consideration the presence of AC of the CS during surgical procedures in the anterior maxilla. It was also found that CBCT is more helpful than other techniques in detecting accessory canals in the region of interest.