Dental panoramic radiography Flashcards
Error: Patient not positioned upright (neck sticking out)
Zone 3 mandibular body: Ghost c-spine extends downward beyond mandibular teeth to obscure midportion of mandible
Error: Patient too far FORWARD (not biting in groove)
Zone 1 dentition: Ant. teeth (especially lowers) are narrowed
Zone 5 ramus-spine: C-spine superimposed on ramus and condyles symmetrically on both sides
Error: Patient is positioned too far BACK
Zone 1 dentition: Ant. teeth (especially lowers) are widened.
Zone 2 nose-sinus: Lower turbinate and meati are spread out across maxillary sinus bilaterally
Zone 4 condyles: condyles appear close to/off lateral edges of film
Zone 5 ramus-spine: Ghost images of rami are seen superimposing post. molars and rami symmetrically
Errror: Patients chin is tipped too LOW
Zone 1 dentition: “smile” is exaggerated, apices of mandibular ant. teeth are cropped
Zone 3 mandibular body: Mandible widened vertically in the ant. region. Traversed by elongated double image and/or ghost of hyoid bone
Zone 4 TMJ: condyles approach upper film edge and can be cropped
Error: Patients chin is tipped too HIGH
Zone 1 dentition: “smile” line is lost. Apices of maxillary teeth are cropped
Zone 2 nose-sinus: Real, double and ghost of palate form widened radiopaque line that superimposes apices of maxillary teeth
Zone 4 TMJ: condyles approach lateral edges of film/”cut-off” symmetrically bilaterally
Error: patients chin is not on the chin rest
Zone’s 2 & 4 nose-sinus & TMJ: Cropped by upper edge of film
Zones 3 & 6 mandible body and hyoid: These zones contain only soft tissue shadows rather than bony anatomy
Error: Lips open/tongue is not on palate
Zone 1: crowns of upper and lower teeth ant. obscured by air, apical region of maxillary teeth obscured by dark air space
Zone 2: palatoglossal air space obscures maxillary apical alveolar bone
Error: Patients head is rotated
Zone 1: Post teeth on one side are widened and overlapped interproximally. On the other side, post teeth are narrowed
Zone 2: Inf turbinate and meati spread across maxiallary sinus on the side with the widened rami
zone 5: ramus is widened on the side with widened post teeth. Ramus is narrowed on other side
–> Narrow ramus indicated rotation in that direction
Error: patients head is tilted
Zone 3: Lower edge of mandible almost horizontal on one side
Zone 4: On the side where interocclusial gap is widened, condyles are enlarged
Bone cysts
Dark cyst on xray
Submandibular calcification
Calcification over submandibular gland (near hyoid bone)
Cancer of mandible
Reduced density/hole in mandible
