Radiographic findings in panoramic radiographs of the elderly: cross-sectional study in 1006 patients

Objective: To evaluate the occurrence of radiographic findings in panoramic radiographs of both males and females over 60 years of age. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 1006 panoramic digital radiographs from the database of the Department of Dentistry of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte were analyzed. Possible associations were investigated between radiographic findings and the variables sex, age and number of remaining teeth (Chi-square, p<0.05). Results: The sample was composed of 66.2% female and 33.8% male. Their age ranged from 60 to 97 years (an average of 67.76 years). The majority of patients (68.3%) was partially edentulous, followed by totally edentulous (31.1%) and only 0.6% were dentate. The most prevalent findings were reabsorption of the alveolar ridge (94.2%), dental calculus (42.9%), caries (29.8%), periapical lesions (23.6%) and residual roots (23.6%). Males had a higher prevalence of caries (p=0.002), calculus (p<0.001), periapical lesions (p<0.001), residual roots (p<0.001) and horizontal/vertical bone resorption (p=0.006). The over 75 years old group had more root caries (p=0.03) and dental calculus (p=0.021). The totally edentulous group had a lower prevalence of impacted/semi-impacted teeth (p=0.012) and residual roots (p<0.001) when compared to partially edentulous and dentate individuals, and higher prevalence of maxillary sinus expansion (p<0.001). Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of radiographic findings in the sample studied, which suggests that there is a great need for dental care among the elderly. (C) 2019 Sociedade Portuguesa de Estomatologia e Medicina Dentaria. Published by SPEMD.