Sensitivity and accuracy of panoramic radiography in identifying calcified carotid atheroma plaques

ABSTRACT

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause death and physical and/ormental disabilities. It represents a serious public health problem owing to the high healthcare costsinvolved in rehabilitating patients. Among the different methods available for diagnosingatherosclerotic disease, color Doppler examination may be considered the “gold standard.” Onthe other hand, panoramic radiography of the jaws (PRJ) is a diagnostic resource commonlyused by dentists, and the obtained images allow examining other structures apart from the maxillaand the mandible. Aim: To evaluate the sensitivity and accuracy of panoramic radiography inidentifying calcified carotid atheroma, and compare the results to those obtained with color Dopplerexamination. Methods: Forty-two cervical regions were evaluated in panoramic radiographsand color Doppler scans. The kappa test (p < 0.05) was used to assess agreement between theexaminations. Data were tested for sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value, as well aspositive and negative likelihood ratios. Results: The kappa value was 0.11. The sensitivity andspecificity of PRJ were 73.9 and 36.8%, respectively, and the positive and negative likelihoodratios were 1.2 and 0.7, respectively. Conclusions: Although a low correlation between PRJand color Doppler examination was observed, as shown by the kappa test, the sensitivity of PRJin identifying calcified carotid atheroma was considered acceptable.