Mandibular condylar guidance obtained by panoramic imaging in edentulous subjects

Abstract EN

Objectives: To verify the reproducibility of condylar guidance in a group of edentulous patients.

Methods: Panoramic radiographs of completely edentulous patients from both genders were randomly collected from patients attending prosthodontic clinics.

Inclusion criteria were patients who were completely edentulous with a normognathic jaw relation.

Five specialists in prosthodontics and five prosthodontic residents traced each radiograph.

The prosthodontists identified the most superior point on the glenoid fossa and the most inferior point on the articular eminence, and they joined these bony points by a straight line.

Another reference line representing the Frankfort horizontal plane was made by joining the orbitale and porion.

Angles made by the intersection of these two lines were measured to represent the condylar guidance on each side.

Results: Twenty panoramic radiographs fulfilled the criteria of this study.

The standard deviation of the right side mean angle value did not exceed 1.24 degrees and on the left side, the standard deviation did not exceed 1.31 degrees.

The difference between the minimum and maximum condylar guidance on the right and left sides did not exceed four degrees.

Conclusion: Panoramic images are a useful and reproducible tool for the measurement of condylar guidance in edentulous patients.

Condylar guidance measurement by panoramic images is a relatively easy method that could be applied in dental rehabilitation clinics, but it requires proper training to avoid the minimal condylar guidance discrepancies that could lead to some degree of potential occlusal errors.