Abstract
Panoramic radiography is the most frequently used imaging examination in dental practice in Japan. The regions imaged include not only the teeth and jaws, but also the nasal and cervical regions. There were several signs of medical disease appears in panoramic radiograph. It has been proposed that the morphology of the mandibular cortical bone in the panoramic radiograph can be used to detect osteoporosis. Secondly in the panoramic radiographs of elderly patients, Calcified bodies are sometimes observed in the cervical soft tissues. Calcifications in the carotid arteries are one of the risk factors for arteriosclerosis. Radiopacities in the maxillary sinus are often seen in the panoramic radiographs. Maxillary sinusitis is a familiar health problem. Inflammation in the paranasal sinuses is often due to allergic rhinitis, upper respiratory tract infections, or dental infections. The development of computer-aided detection/diagnosis (CAD) systems for dental imaging is progressing. One expected use of CAD is to detect these radiological signs of medical disease in the panoramic screening radiograph.
