Findings from radiographs of the jaws of edentulous patients.

The jaws of 368 edentulous patients are evaluated radiographically and the findings presented. Patients were selected at random from those attending the Oral Diagnostic Clinic of the Dental School of the University of Athens. Pathological findings consisting of residual roots, impacted teeth, radiopaque and radiolucent areas, foreign bodies, and soft tissue calcification were found in 37.0 percent of the patients examined. These conditions were not identifiable from the history or the clinical examination of the patients; 47 patients had been denture wearers for a period of 1 to 5 years. Analysis of the type, incidence, and location of the pathological conditions found in this study stresses the necessity of radiographic examination of the jaws of all edentulous patients prior to construction of complete dentures.