Prevalence of Errors in Fundamentals of Patient Positioning in Digital OrthopantomogramA Retrospective Study

Abstract

Introduction: Digital panoramic radiograph or Orthopantomogram (OPG) has become an indispensable equipment in oral disease diagnosis. However, it is prone for positioning errors in digital imaging systems that affect quality of dental care. Aim: To assess the prevalence of errors in patient positioning in digital OPG. Materials and methods: This retrospective study including 900 digital OPG’s (483 males and 417 females) which were collected from the Department or Oral Medicine and Radiology at Saveetha Dental college and hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Digital OPG images taken during the month of January from 1.1.2021 to 31.1.2021 were retrospectively collected and used for this study. The data was then analyzed and interpreted in the consecutive months from 1.2.2021 to 31.3.2021. The images were assessed for the frequency of positioning errors by a single radiologist and its association with the patient gender. The results were statistically analysed using Statistical Analysis of the Social Sciences (SPSS) 23.0 software. Chi-square test was used for the statistical analyses to determine the association between positioning errors and gender (p-value ≤0.05). Results: Among the positioning errors, the most common error was “head too far forward”, 19.9% in males and 23.5% in females. The least common errors seen were excessive downward angulation and upward over-angulation 27 (5.6%) and 16 (3.3%) cases in males and 19 (4.6%) and 15 (3.6%) cases in females respectively. The association between gender and positioning errors was found to be statistically significant at p-value 0.001 (p<0.05) with a Chi-square value of 22.455. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of structured training in taking panoramic radiographs and quality support required for proper image outcome. This is necessary to reduce treatment cost, patient time expenditure, exposure to radiation and delay in treatment planning.