Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the trabecular pattern of patients with cancer taking bisphosphonates on panoramic images using fractal dimension (FD) analysis by comparison with healthy subjects and to assess whether any difference exists between regions.
Methods: FD analysis was conducted using ImageJ 1.3 software (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) with the box-counting method on panoramic radiographs of 33 patients taking bisphosphonates (13 males and 20 females) and 33 healthy sex- and age-matched individuals.
Results: FD values were higher (1.39 ± 0.14) in the study group than control group (1.38 ± 0.07) (p ≤ 0.05). No difference was detected in the FD values among the tested regions. The mean FD values in the control and study groups were as follows: region 1, 1.49 and 1.41 (p = 0.54); region 2, 1.36 and 1.37 (p = 0.84); region 3, 1.35 and 1.42 (p = 0.11); and region 4, 1.39 and 1.39 (p = 0.90), respectively. Female patients showed significantly lower values above the mandibular canal on the distal side of the second premolar and anterior to the mental foramen than did male patients (p ≤ 0.05). Age was unrelated to the FD in the study group (p ≥ 0.05).
Conclusions: The FD values of the patients with cancer taking bisphosphonates were higher than those of the controls. FD analysis showed the potential for examining bone structure in panoramic radiographs. Studies with a larger sample size are necessary to confirm these results.
Keywords: Bisphosphonates; Fractals; Panoramic radiography.