Age-related Changes in the Trabecular Pattern of Human Jaw Bone by Means of Image Processing Analysis of Rotational Panoramic Radiographs

Abstract

Changes in the trabecular pattern of human jaw bone with normal aging were examined to help making a diagnosis of oral diseases which affect the jaw bone and to decide the therapeutic course as reference data. In this study, age-related changes in the trabecular pattern of the jaw bone were investigated on panoramic radiographs of 126 normal persons having no internal disease and almost no oral disease, which are often encountered in a routine dental practice. The results obtained were as follows:
1. Age estimation based on panoramic radiographs which contained informations on the teeth was possible with considerable probability.
2. If the correct answer was regarded as the estimated age ±one decade, then age estimation from panoramic radiographs having no dental information (by blocking out tooth structures on the radiograph) was possible to some extent.
3. Thickness of the mandibular lower cortex in the premolar, molar, and angular regions revealed peaks at the fourth to fifth decade.
4. Bone mineral contents in the molar and angular regions of the mandible increased from the second to sixth decade and decreased during the seventh decade in both sexes; and this decrease was greater in women than in men.
The above results indicate that this approach may be useful not only to help making a diagnosis and give a treatment of metabolic bone diseases but also to provide new informations for the basic and clinical investigations in the areas of forensic odontology, senile odontology, and dental radiology.