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The mandibular bone structure in children by fractal dimension and its correlation with pixel intensity values: a pilot study

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Abstract

Objectives

To identify a normal pattern of mandibular trabecular bone in children based on the fractal dimension (FD), and its possible correlation with pixel intensity (PI) values, to facilitate the early diagnosis of possible diseases and/or future bone alterations.

Materials and methods

The 50 panoramic images were selected and divided into two groups, according to the children’s age: 8–9 (Group 1; n = 25) and 6–7 (Group 2; n = 25). For FD and PI analyses, three regions of interest (ROIs) were selected, and their mean values were evaluated for each ROI, according to each group, using the t test for independent samples and the model of generalized estimation equations (GEE). Subsequently, these mean values were correlated by the Pearson test.

Results

Comparing the groups, FD and PI did not differ from each other for any of the measured regions (p > 0.00). It was observed that in the mandible branch (ROI1), FD and PI means were 1.26 ± 0.01 and 81.0 ± 2.50, respectively. In the mandible angle (ROI2), the means were 1.21 ± 0.02 (FD) and 72.8 ± 2.13 (PI); and in the mandible, cortical (ROI3) values of FD = 1.03 ± 0.01 and PI = 91.3 ± 1.75 were obtained. There was no correlation between FD and PI in any of the analyzed ROI (r < 0.285). The FD means of ROI1 and ROI2 did not differ from each other (p = 0.053), but both were different from ROI3 (p < 0.00). All PI values differed from each other (p < 0.00).

Conclusion

The bone trabeculate pattern in 6–9-year-old children presented FD between 1.01 and 1.29. Besides that, there was no significant correlation between FD and PI.

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Funding

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Dental School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Beatriz Fernandes Arrepia & Andrea Fonseca-Gonçalves

  2. Department of Pathology and Oral Diagnosis, Dental School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Thaiza Gonçalves Rocha, Annie Seabra Medeiros & Maria Augusta Visconti

  3. Department of Oral Diagnosis, Division of Oral Radiology, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil

    Matheus Diniz Ferreira

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  1. Beatriz Fernandes Arrepia
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Correspondence to Maria Augusta Visconti.

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Conflict of interest

Author Beatriz Fernandes Arrepia, Author Thaiza Gonçalves Rocha, Author Annie Seabra Medeiros, Author Matheus Diniz Ferreira, Author Andrea Fonseca Gonçalves, Author Maria Augusta Visconti declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures followed were by the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (University Hospital Clementino Fraga Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008 (5). Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Arrepia, B.F., Rocha, T.G., Medeiros, A.S. et al. The mandibular bone structure in children by fractal dimension and its correlation with pixel intensity values: a pilot study. Oral Radiol 39, 771–778 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11282-023-00693-8

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