Computer-aided system for morphometric mandibular index computation. (Using dental panoramic radiographs).

OBJECTIVE

We propose and validate a computer-aided system to measure three different mandibular indexes: cortical width, panoramic mandibular index and, mandibular alveolar bone resorption index.

STUDY DESIGN

Repeatability and reproducibility of the measurements are analyzed and compared to the manual estimation of the same indexes.

RESULTS

The proposed computerized system exhibits superior repeatability and reproducibility rates compared to standard manual methods. Moreover, the time required to perform the measurements using the proposed method is negligible compared to perform the measurements manually.

CONCLUSIONS

We have proposed a very user friendly computerized method to measure three different morphometric mandibular indexes. From the results we can conclude that the system provides a practical manner to perform these measurements. It does not require an expert examiner and does not take more than 16 seconds per analysis. Thus, it may be suitable to diagnose osteoporosis using dental panoramic radiographs.