ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
|
Year : 2017 | Volume
: 5
| Issue : 3 | Page : 74-80 |
|
Are dental and periapical status related to incidental findings of calcifications along the course of the internal carotid artery in cone-beam computed tomography?
Heraldo Luis Dias Da Silveira1, Fernanda Hoffmann Busanello2, Carolina Nedel1, Mariana Boessio Vizzotto1, Spyros Damaskos3
1 Department of Surgery and Orthopedics, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil 2 Department of Conservative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil 3 Department of Oral Radiology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, School of Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
Correspondence Address:
Prof. Heraldo Luis Dias Da Silveira Department of Surgery and Orthopedics, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul, 2492 Ramiro Barcelos St., 90035 003, Porto Alegre Brazil
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jomr.jomr_30_17
|
|
Context: Given that tooth loss, periapical lesion, and manifestations of periodontal disease are generally related to previous inflammatory events and that a linear relationship exists between tooth loss and degree of arterial stiffness, reasonable ground exists to investigate whether there is an association with presence of calcifications along the course of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Aims: This study aims to determine whether an association exists between the extra- and intracranial calcifications of the internal carotid artery (ExCICA and InCICA, respectively) and missing teeth (MT) as well as the periapical index (PAI), in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. Settings and Design: A retrospective study with CBCT examinations obtained from a database of a dental imaging center. Materials and Methods: A number of 174 adults' CBCT examinations of both genders were evaluated on the presence of calcifications along the course of the ICA and the number of MT as well as the PAI score. Statistical Analysis Used: The interobserver agreement was assessed by Cohen's kappa. The t-test for independent samples was used to compare the groups presented with or without calcifications. Furthermore, the Pearson's test was used to evaluate whether an association exists between variables that had a statistical difference. Results: The t-test showed a significant difference in the mean age (MA) and the number of MT between patients with and without presence of calcifications along the course of ICA, in both extra- and intracranial segments. The Pearson's correlation test showed a positive correlation between MA, MT, and both ExCICAs' presence and InCICAs' presence. Although the number of MT increases with age, this increment is high in the presence of ExCICA and even higher in the presence of InCICA. Conclusion: We support that not only patients' age but also the number of MT can be predictive for atherosclerosis “signs” presence.
|
|
|
|
[FULL TEXT] [PDF]* |
|
 |
|