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Panoramic radiography study on prevalence of zygomatic air cell defect

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international journal of stomatology & occlusion medicine

Abstract

Background

Zygomatic air cell defect (ZACD) is a normal radiographic occurrence and the clinical importance has been sparsely evaluated.

Objective

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence, radiographic appearance and characteristics of patients with zygomatic air cell defect.

Materials and methods

Panoramic radiographs of 500 patients of both genders in the age group of 15–65 years who presented as dental outpatients were examined retrospectively.

Results

Out of 500 radiographs ZACD was found in 14 giving an overall prevalence of 2.8 %. Out of the 14 cases of ZACD 4 were found in males and 10 in females of which 12 (85.7 %) were unilateral with 5 on the right and 7 on the left side and 2 cases (14.3 %) were bilateral.

Conclusion

The occurrence of ZACD is a normal radiographic variant seen in panoramic radiographs. Very few studies have documented the prevalence of ZACD and its characteristics. The present study observed an overall prevalence of 2.8 % which was consistent with other studies. Knowledge of ZACD may be helpful in the diagnosis of other pathological entities affecting the zygomatic region, in surgical planning of temporomandibular disorders and understanding the spread of pathological processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, St. Joseph Dental College and Hospital, Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Smitha Balla MDS, Nageswara Rao BDS (MDS), Sudhakar Sankaran MDS, Ramaswamy Pachagola MDS & Sai Kiran Chi

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  1. Smitha Balla MDS
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  2. Nageswara Rao BDS (MDS)
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  3. Sudhakar Sankaran MDS
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  4. Ramaswamy Pachagola MDS
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  5. Sai Kiran Chi
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Correspondence to Sudhakar Sankaran MDS.

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Balla, S., Rao, N., Sankaran, S. et al. Panoramic radiography study on prevalence of zygomatic air cell defect. J. Stomat. Occ. Med. 7, 46–49 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12548-014-0104-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12548-014-0104-4

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