Isman O, Kayar S, Surmelioglu D, Ciftci M E, Aktan A M
Department of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Vocational High School of Health Service Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Department of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Okmeydanı Oral and Dental Health Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Niger J Clin Pract. 2020 Feb;23(2):205-211. doi: 10.4103/njcp.njcp_377_19.
The aim of this retrospective study is to determine the level of visibility of the lingual foramen in panoramic radiography using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) as a reference tool.
A total of 200 patients (111 females and 89 males) were included in the study. Cross-sectional CBCT images of the mandible in the midline were used to locate and define the orifice and diameter of each lingual canal that was detected. The appearance of the lingual foramen in the anterior mandible in panoramic radiography was assessed using a five-point ordinal scale. Descriptive statistics including tables and graphs were used. The correlation between CBCT and panoramic radiography findings were analyzed using Chi-square tests.
The lingual foramen was found to be located most frequently in the mandibular midline, above the genial tubercle (78.5%). A narrow-diameter type was found to occur most frequently (56.5%). A prominent genial tubercle was the most commonly found type (57.5%). The lingual foramen could be definitively identified in panoramic radiographs in only 8 cases (4%), while a high degree of probability was found in 25 cases (12.5%). The lingual foramen appears wider and therefore more distinctive in panoramic radiographs when the angulation of the lingual canal is less than 20° to the ground plane.
Radiological evaluation with panoramic radiographs alone may lead to inadequate assessments prior to surgical procedures involving the anterior mandible. Clinicians may consider using three-dimensional imaging for procedures with a risk of hemorrhagic and neurosensory complications such as dental implant placement in the anterior mandible.
本回顾性研究的目的是使用锥形束计算机断层扫描（CBCT）作为参考工具，确定全景X线片中舌孔的可见程度。
本研究共纳入200例患者（111例女性和89例男性）。使用下颌骨中线的横断面CBCT图像来定位和确定检测到的每个舌管的孔口和直径。使用五点有序量表评估全景X线片中下颌前部舌孔的表现。采用包括表格和图表在内的描述性统计方法。使用卡方检验分析CBCT与全景X线片检查结果之间的相关性。
发现舌孔最常位于下颌骨中线、颏结节上方（78.5%）。发现窄径型最为常见（56.5%）。明显的颏结节是最常见的类型（57.5%）。仅在8例（4%）全景X线片中能明确识别出舌孔，而在25例（12.5%）中发现有较高的可能性。当舌管与地面平面的角度小于20°时，舌孔在全景X线片中显得更宽，因此更明显。
仅用全景X线片进行放射学评估可能会导致在涉及下颌前部的手术前评估不足。对于有出血和神经感觉并发症风险的手术，如在下颌前部植入牙种植体，临床医生可考虑使用三维成像。
