Assessment of alveolar bone loss at mandibular first molar on panoramic radiographs

Introduction: The loss of alveolar bone is one of the important indicators of periodontitis. There is a widespread use of panoramic radiographs for the detection of bone loss due to periodontitis. The present study is aimed to evaluate the severity and prevalence of alveolar bone loss at mandibular first molar sites on randomly selected 250 orthopantomograms. Materials and Methods: The alveolar bone level was assessed by direct measurements from the cemento-enamel junction to the crest of alveolar bone at the mandibular first molar region at the mesial and distal surface with a Hu-Friedy University of North Carolina probe-15 Probe. Bone loss was assessed based on gender and age. Results: The results indicated that the bone loss was statistically higher in the mandibular molar region on the distal surface than the mesial surface. The bone loss notably increased with age. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study is in accordance with the finding that radiographic bone loss can be used as an important tool to identify patients susceptible to periodontitis.