Orthopantomogram provide a wide-view, panoramic image of the patient’s upper and lower jaws, as well as any associated dentition, from root to crown.
An OPG digital x-ray is particularly useful for planning orthodontic dental brace therapy because it gives a complete picture of the teeth and emphasises impacted and/or non-erupted teeth. An additional benefit of an OPG x-ray is that it can be used to evaluate a patient’s wisdom teeth and identify any potential TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders.
The orthopantomogram can be used for various purposes:
- Detection of wounds, illnesses, and conditions affecting the jaws, teeth, and the structures that support them.
- Verification of a disease’s diagnosis in some cases.
- Determining the severity of a bone disease.
assessment of impacted or involved teeth. - Diagnosis of fractures or fissures taking into account consolidation and displacement.
- Analysis of tooth eruption, growth, and development patterns.
- Detection of foreign substances.
- In addition to intraoral radiography, a diagnostic tool.
- Information gathering during dental operations.
- Measurement of development and growth.
Shreya Hospital orthopantomogram
The following anatomical structures must be visible on a panoramic radiography for the technique to be declared acceptable:
Teeth: The dentition should have an immediately recognisable gap between the upper and lower teeth and a smooth curve at the smile line. There shouldn’t be too much premolar overlap, and the posterior teeth should be of regular size. The radiographic image must show the full apices and crowns of the anterior teeth.
Sinuses and nose: The radiographic image should be able to clearly show the soft tissues and cartilage of the nose. The hard palate’s shadow should be clearly evident, and the maxillary sinuses may also reveal some ghostly pictures of the palate. The tongue must be seen contacting the palate in the illustration.
Mandibular condyles: Both condyles should be equally sized and high in reference to the horizontal plane, and appear centred in the radiography image.
Ramus of the mandible and cervical spine: On both sides of the picture, the ramus of the jaw should be comparable. When present, the vertebral column must not extend past the mandibular ramus, and the space between them must be the same on both sides.
Mandibular body: A consistent and continuous picture should be visible in the mandibular lower cortex. The hyoid bone shouldn’t have any ghost or duplicate images, and the midline of the jaw and maxilla shouldn’t be enlarged.