The significance of skeletal and dental measurements obtained from a panorex radiograph

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether angular and linear measurements from tracings of a Panorex radiograph provide a valid comparison to bony relationships identified on the lateral cephalometric headplate of the same individual. A pilot study was performed on a dried skull to identify selected skeletal landmarks on Panorex radiographs. Using these landmarks, fifteen measurements of bony relationships of the head were completed on each radiograph. Values obtained on a lateral headplate were compared with measurements on the same patient's Panorex radiograph for a group of forty-eight children. The data were recorded on standard IBM punch cards and submitted for statistical analysis to the Research Computation Center of Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. The data support the conclusion that angular and linear measurements from a tracing of a Panorex radiograph cannot be compared directly or in a proportional manner to similar measurements from a tracing of a lateral headplate of the same individual. Although there was significant correlation of comparative measurements for the sample group as a whole, there was wide variation from individual to individual.