Prevalence Of Soft Tissue Calcifications On Digital Orthopantamograph – A Retrospective Study

Lalitha Chintala; Y.C. Chaitanya; Parappa Sajjan; Bhavyasri Gaddam; Anita D Parushetti; Vippa Sahithi

doi:10.29284/53c6ve26

Authors

Lalitha Chintala Professor and Head of the Department, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Malla Reddy Institute of Dental Sciences, Malla Reddy Vishwavidyapeeth Suraram, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Y.C. Chaitanya Reader, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Malla Reddy Institute of Dental Sciences, Malla Reddy Vishwavidyapeeth Suraram, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Parappa Sajjan Professor and Head of the Department, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Malla Reddy Institute of Dental Sciences, Malla Reddy Vishwavidyapeeth, Suraram, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Bhavyasri Gaddam Department of Periodontology, Mamata Dental College, Khammam, Telangana, India.
Anita D Parushetti Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Malla Reddy Institute of Dental Sciences, Mallareddy Vishwavidyapeeth, Suraram, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Vippa Sahithi Senior Lecturer, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Malla Reddy Institute of Dental Sciences, Malla Reddy Vishwavidyapeeth, Suraram, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29284/53c6ve26

Keywords:

Digital Orthopantamograph, Sialoliths, Soft tissue calcifications, Stylohyoid ligament calcifications.

Abstract

Background: The identification of soft tissue calcification of the head and neck area is crucial for diagnosing systemic diseases, identifying the presence of asymptomatic pathologies and designing effective treatment. These calcifications can be a sign of underlying disorders like vascular, metabolic and infectious disorders. The present study was done to determine the prevalence of detectable soft tissue calcifications in head and the neck regions through digital panoramic radiographs.

Materials and Methods: A total of 3,902 digital panoramic radiographs of adult male and female patients who attended a dental hospital were examined by qualified Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologists. These calcifications were divided into many types, such as calcified stylohyoid ligament, phleboliths, calcified vessels, sialoliths and tonsilloliths.

Results: Among the identified calcifications, the calcified stylohyoid ligament showed the highest prevalence at 67.4%. Parotid gland calcifications accounted for 13.4%, followed by atheromatous plaques (9.4%), sialoliths (4.0%), and calcified lymph nodes and tonsilloliths (1.1% each).

Conclusions: Digital panoramic radiographs are very useful in identifying soft tissue calcifications in head as well as neck region. Results showed that most common were the calcifications of the stylohyoid ligaments, then parotid gland calcifications and atheromatous plaques. These findings highlight the importance of radiographic assessments in the early detection and treatment of underlying systemic or localized diseases.

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