• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2012

TMJ Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease caused by overload on joint tissue, and often accompany with local tenderness on the joint, crepitus by mandibular movement, restriction of mandibular movement, and anterior openbite. In general, panoramic radiography, TMJ panoramic radiography, and transcranial radiography are conducted to diagnose osteoarthritis after clinical examination, however, these radiographic evaluations are limited in detecting minute bony changes of early pathologic lesion. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the limitation and usefulness of several TMJ imaging techniques, so we compare the findings from clinical examination, plain film radiographs, tomograph, and bone scan from 81 patients with temporomandibular joint disorder. The proportion of patients showing same findings in plain film radiographs, TMJ tomograph, and bone scan was high, however, it is desirable that clinician should conduct phased imaging examinations according to the clinical findings due to the possibilities of false negative findings in diagnosis of osteoarthritis.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.103-108
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• 2016

Purpose: The current study investigates the feasibility of a platform for a nationwide dose monitoring system for dental radiography. The essential elements for an unerring system are also assessed. Materials and Methods: An intraoral radiographic machine with 14 X-ray generators and five sensors, 45 panoramic radiographic machines, and 23 cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) models used in Korean dental clinics were surveyed to investigate the type of dose report. A main server for storing the dose data from each radiographic machine was prepared. The dose report transfer pathways from the radiographic machine to the main sever were constructed. An effective dose calculation method was created based on the machine specifications and the exposure parameters of three intraoral radiographic machines, five panoramic radiographic machines, and four CBCTs. A viewing system was developed for both dentists and patients to view the calculated effective dose. Each procedure and the main server were integrated into one system. Results: The dose data from each type of radiographic machine was successfully transferred to the main server and converted into an effective dose. The effective dose stored in the main server is automatically connected to a viewing program for dentist and patient access. Conclusion: A patient radiation dose monitoring system is feasible for dental clinics. Future research in cooperation with clinicians, industry, and radiologists is needed to ensure format convertibility for an efficient dose monitoring system to monitor unexpected radiation dose.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2011

Along with the developments of science technology, up-to-date medical radiation equipments are introduced. Those equipments has brought many progresses in diagnosing patients not only in the quantitative aspects but in the qualitative ones. Especially, in the case of dental radiography, patients can be exposed more than CT, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). In this study, we used human phantom and TLD-100H to measure the organ dose in each dental radiography and computed the effective dose according to ICRP (International Committee for Radioactivity Prevention) 60, 103. We measured the effective dose to be 5.1 and $29.5{\mu}Sv$ in the panoramic radiography and 11.2 and $14.4{\mu}Sv$ in the cephalometric radiography respectively. We also executed the CBCT and CT test on the maxillaries and the mandibles and found the amounts of effective dose were 53.7, 209.6, 129, and $391.5{\mu}Sv$ respectively in the CBCT and $93.3{\mu}$, 139.5, 282.7 and $489.7{\mu}Sv$ in the CT test. Consequently, it was shown that the effective dose in the CBCT test was lower than one in the CT test, but was higher in both panoramic and cephalometric radiography.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.165-171
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• 2008

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of panoramic radiological risk signs related with mandibular third molar extraction, and the relationship between these risk signs and inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) injury after tooth extraction. Cases were defined as 1000 mandibular third molars extracted by surgical approach at Samsung Medical Center during the period from March 2001 to December 2006. Seven radiological risk signs were assessed on the panoramic radiogram by three expert oral surgeons. Clinical demographic data and severity of IAN injury were examined on medical records. Bivariate analyses were completed to assess the relationship between radiological risk signs and IAN injury. The radiological risk signs showed in 381 cases(38.1%). The incidence of each radiological risk signs were; interruption of IAN white line, 152 cases(15.2%); deflected roots, 141 cases(14.1%); darkening root, 119 cases(11.9%); diversion of IAN, 57 cases(5.7%) ; IAN narrowing, 37 cases(3.7%); root narrowing, 17 cases(1.7%); dark and bifid apex, 10 cases(1.0%). The incidence of IAN injury in cases with risk signs were: in the case of any sign, 3.6%; interruption of IAN white line, 2.6%; deflected roots 5.7%; darkening root. 3.4%; diversion of IAN, 5.7%; IAN narrowing, 3.7%; root narrowing, 5.9%; dark and bifid apex, 0%. No IAN injury was showed in 619 cases without risk sign (p<0.05). In conclusion, the presence of panoramic risk signs was associated with an increased risk for IAN injury during mandibular third molar extraction, whereas the absence of risk signs was associated with a minimal risk of nerve injury.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.81-91
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• 2024

Purpose: The objective of this study was to propose a deep-learning model for the detection of the mandibular canal on dental panoramic radiographs. Materials and Methods: A total of 2,100 panoramic radiographs (PANs) were collected from 3 different machines: RAYSCAN Alpha (n=700, PAN A), OP-100 (n=700, PAN B), and CS8100 (n=700, PAN C). Initially, an oral and maxillofacial radiologist coarsely annotated the mandibular canals. For deep learning analysis, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) utilizing U-Net architecture were employed for automated canal segmentation. Seven independent networks were trained using training sets representing all possible combinations of the 3 groups. These networks were then assessed using a hold-out test dataset. Results: Among the 7 networks evaluated, the network trained with all 3 available groups achieved an average precision of 90.6%, a recall of 87.4%, and a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 88.9%. The 3 networks trained using each of the 3 possible 2-group combinations also demonstrated reliable performance for mandibular canal segmentation, as follows: 1) PAN A and B exhibited a mean DSC of 87.9%, 2) PAN A and C displayed a mean DSC of 87.8%, and 3) PAN B and C demonstrated a mean DSC of 88.4%. Conclusion: This multi-device study indicated that the examined CNN-based deep learning approach can achieve excellent canal segmentation performance, with a DSC exceeding 88%. Furthermore, the study highlighted the importance of considering the characteristics of panoramic radiographs when developing a robust deep-learning network, rather than depending solely on the size of the dataset.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.195-204
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• 2008

Osteoarthritis is caused by joint degeneration, a process that includes progressive loss of articular cartilage accompanied by attempted repair of articular cartilage, remodeling and sclerosis of subchondral bone, and osteophyte formation. The most common causative factor that either causes or contributes to osteoarthritis is overloading of the articular structures of the joint. The diagnosis of temporomandibular joint(TMJ) osteoarthritis is based on the patient's history and clinical findings such as limited mandibular opening, crepitation and tenderness to palpation on TMJ. The diagnosis is usually confirmed by TMJ radiographs, which will reveal evidence of structural changes in the subarticular bone of the condyle or fossa. Plain radiography techniques such as panoramic, transcranial, transpharyngeal views can be used in most dental offices for evaluation of the TMJs. However, plain radiographs are often limited due to overlapping and distortion of anatomical structures. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical examination and panoramic view with computed tomography for diagnosis of temporomandibular degenerative joint disease, and to compare the findings of condylar bony changes through panoramic radiography with that of computed tomography, hence, to confirm the limitations of clinical and panoramic radiography, and the validity of the computed tomography for diagnosis of temporomandibular degenerative joint disease. The pathophysiology of the TMJ osteoarthritis remains poorly understood, and current treatments are based more on speculation than science, and symptomatic treatments often fail to provide satisfactory pain relief. For diagnosis of TMJ osteoarthritis, clinical examination and radiographic examination for confirmation of the bony changes are essential, and computed tomography are clearly superior to plain radiographs for their limitations.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.109-120
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was first to analyze the utilization of dental examination through questionnaire to develop a diagnostic reference level of patient doses for dental radiography in korea. 77 dental institutions were classified into three groups: A group for the dental hospitals of the college of dentistry (11 institutions), B group for dental hospitals (30 institutions) and C group for dental clinics (36 institutions). The results were as follows : The mean numbers of unit chairs and medical staffs were 140.2, 15.3 and 5.8 sets, 112.6, 7.3 and 1.7 dentists, 3.1, 0.5 and no one radiologic technologists, and 19.7, 12.5 and 3.3 dental hygienists in A, B and C groups, respectively. The mean numbers of dental X-ray equipments were 14.64, 3.21 and 2.19 in A, B and C groups, respectively. Intraoral dental X-ray unit was used the most, the following equipments were panoramic, cephalometric, and cone-beam CT units. The most used X-ray imaging system was also digital system (above 50%) in all three groups. Insight dental film (Kodak, USA) having high sensitivity was routinely used for periapical radiography. The automatic processor was not used in many dental institutions, but the film-holding device was used in many dental institutions. The utilization rates of PACS in A, B and C groups were 90.9%, 83.3% and 16.7% respectively, and the PACS software program was used the most PiView STAR (Infinitt, Korea). The annual mean number of radiographic cases in one dental institution in 2008 for A group was 6.8 times and 21.2 times more than those for B and C groups, and periapical and panoramic radiographs were taken mostly. Tube voltage (kVp) and tube current (mA) for periapical radiography were similar in all three groups, but exposure time in C group was 12.0 times and 3.5 times longer than those in B and C groups. The amount of radiation exposure in C group, in which dental hygienists take dental radiographs, was more than those in other groups. The exposure parameters for panoramic radiography were similar in all three groups. In conclusion, the exposure parameters in dental radiography should be determined with reference level, not past experiences. Use of automatic processor and film-holding devices reduces the radiation exposure in film system. The quality assurance of dental equipments are necessary for the reduction of the patient dose and the improvement of X-ray image quality.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.269-273
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• 2017

Mandibular bone depression, also known as Stafne bone cavity, is defined as a bone depression filled mainly with salivary gland tissue. Parotid gland bone defects are infrequently observed. We report the case of a 52-year-old male patient who underwent radiographic examinations due to temporomandibular joint dysfunction, and a radiolucent area was detected in the mandibular ramus, with a provisional diagnosis of traumatic bone cyst or parotid mandibular bone defect. The patient was then referred for magnetic resonance imaging, which demonstrated a hyperintense area eroding the mandibular ramus, which corresponded to glandular tissue. Although the defect was a benign lesion, radiolucencies in the mandibular ramus lead to concerns among professionals, because their radiographic features can resemble various intrabony neoplastic lesions, such as giant cell tumors or benign tumors of the parotid gland.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.145-148
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• 2015

In 1942 Stafne reported 35 asymptomatic, radiolucent cavities that were unilaterally located in the posterior region of the mandible between the mandibular angle and the third molar, and below the mandibular canal. The term Stafne bone cavity (SBC) is now used for such asymptomatic lingual bone depressions of the lower jaw. Since then there have been many reports of SBCs but very fews tudies have used cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for their diagnosis. The aim of this paper is to describe the clinical and radiological characteristics of two cases of SBCs and the importance of limited CBCT in confirming the diagnosis.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.209-213
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• 2004

The glandular odontogenic cyst is a rare lesion described in 1987. It generally occurs at anterior region of mandible in adults over the age of 40 and has a slight tendency to recur. Histopathologically, a cystic cavity lined by a nonkeratinized, stratified squamous, or cuboidal epithelium varying in thickness is found including a superficial layer with glandular or pseudoglandular structures. A 21-year-old male visited Dankook University Dental Hospital with a chief complaint of swelling of the left posterior mandible. Radiographically, a huge multilocular radiolucent lesion involving impacted 3rd molar at the posterior mandible was observed. Buccolingual cortical expansion with partial perforation of buccal cortical bone was also shown. Histopathologically, this lesion was lined by stratified squamous epithelium with glandular structures in areas of plaque-like thickening. The final diagnosis was made as a glandular odontogenic cyst.