Unveiling the Hidden: Prevalence of Dystrophic Calcification in Digital Orthopantomograph Through a Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVE- Soft tissue calcifications in the head and neck region are a rare occurrence that are frequently seen on digital panoramic radiographs. This article delves into panoptic exploration to examine and evaluate the prevalence of dystrophic calcification and other soft tissue calcifications in digital orthopantomographs across diverse patient population through a retrospective analysis. METHOD AND METHODOLOGY-A systematic analysis of a small dataset of 300 patients between the ages of 12 to 74 years were studied using their digital OPGs. These radiographs were utilized to focus on identifying and categorizing dystrophic calcifications, and other soft tissue calcifications which includes calcified stylohyoid ligament, tonsillolith, carotid artery calcification, sialolith of submandibular gland, rhinolith, phlebolith and antrolith based on prevalence according to gender, age and site using Chi square test and ANOVA test. RESULTS- Findings of the study showed that soft tissue calcifications including dystrophic calcifications are remarkably common manifestation in digital OPGs. Notably, the prevalence of these calcifications were found more in male than in female. Presence of styloid ligament calcification(28.7%) and carotid artery calcification(16.7%) were the two most common soft tissue calcifications found in oral maxillofacial region. Additionally, a significant percentage of cases showed calcifications in the carotid arteries, raising serious questions regarding vascular consequences.Other soft tissue components showed distinct patterns of calcification like sialolith, phleboliths, rhinoliths, antrolith and tonsillolith emphasize more on their potential diagnostic use. Also, the prevalence of all the calcifications increased with increase in age.[15] CONCLUSION-Soft tissue calcifications are frequently seen on panoramic radiographs. Dentists should be able to recognize it and determine the differential diagnosis of the primary soft tissue calcifications in the dentomaxillofacial region when it occurs. Early diagnosis of atherosclerotic conditions and prompt guidance regarding the patient's medical condition may be of high importance in patients’ health.