Morphometric Analysis of Infraorbital Canal Using Digital Panoramic Radiograph and Proposing New Classification

Abstract

The infraorbital canal is one of the important anatomic structures present in the panoramic radiographic image which shows different radiographic presentations. Aim: To study the morphology of infraorbital canal on digital panoramic radiograph. Materials and Methods: The total of 1000 digital panoramic radiographs were selected from archives of the department after fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Each radiograph was then analyzed for morphological study based on Scarfe et al. classification. The collected data were statistically analyzed by using descriptive statistics and the Chi square test. Results: The participants’ age ranged from 11 to 85 years with the mean age 37.72 + 15.89 years. There were total 583 males and 417 females with ratio of 1.4:1. The infraorbital canals were detected in 96.8% of the radiographs. The Type I, II, and III infraorbital canals were 43.45%, 18.95%, and 34.4% of radiographs, respectively. No significant difference was noted according to sex and side (P> 0.05). Conclusion: The radiographic patterns of infraorbital canal were analyzed and a modification into Scarfe et al. classification was proposed.