Comparison of fractal dimension analysis and panoramic-based radiomorphometric indices in the assessment of mandibular bone changes in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVES

This study compared the fractal dimension (FD) and radiomorphometric indices in the assessment of mandibular bone of patients with type 1 (T1 DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2 DM).

STUDY DESIGN

Panoramic radiographs of 104 patients were evaluated to calculate FD, mandibular cortical width (MCW), panoramic mandibular index (PMI), and mandibular cortical index (MCI) in the mandible.

RESULTS

No statistically significant differences were found in FD when T1 DM and T2 DM groups were compared with controls (P ≥ .168). Patients with T1 DM had significantly lower MCW (P < .001) and PMI (P = .030) compared with controls. Patients with T2 DM had no significant differences in MCW (P = .228) or PMI (P = .137) compared with controls. No significant differences were observed between patients with T1 DM and those with T2 DM for FD, MCW, and PMI (P > .05). In the T1 DM and T2 DM groups, there was a significant correlation between MCW and FD (P ≤ .011). No correlation was observed between FD and PMI in either the T1 DM group or the T2 DM group (P ≥ .142). No significant differences in MCI were observed between the DM groups and controls (P = .740) or between the T1 DM and T2 DM groups (P = 1.000).

CONCLUSIONS

The cortical and trabecular bone architectures of patients with T1 DM and T2 DM were not different. Patients with T1 DM had lower cortical measurements compared with controls.