Prevalence of incidental findings in pre-treatment panoramic radiographs of an orthodontic population

Abstract

Objective: to assess the prevalence of incidental findings in pre-orthodontic orthopantomograms, the need for referral as a result of these findings and to evaluate the quality of the radiographs. Methods: 300 radiographs of males and females (10-60 years old) were analyzed. The PABAK test was used to calculate intra-rater reliability. The findings were recorded in a customized data entry form. Results: positioning errors were frequent, with the most common being the tongue dropping from the palate, presence of anatomical ghost images and chin positioning errors. 62.6% of the patients showed at least one incidental finding, with hypodontia, impacted third molars and other impacted teeth being the most common. 20% of the findings merited a referral. Conclusions: technical errors are common. The prevalence of incidental findings in this study was higher than previously reported. 20% of the findings needed a referral, with impacted teeth representing the most common cause for referral.