Jaws and Dental Panoramic Radiographic Findings in the Elderly in Kerman, Iran

Background and Aim: A rapid aging of the human population has taken place in recent years. Aging associates with numeral changes in oral and maxillofacial structures. The aim of this study was to quantify the frequency of panoramic radiographic findings in the elderly. Materials and Methods: Panoramic radiographs from 196 patients aged 60 years and older were evaluated at the private clinic for the presence of items such as alveolar bone loss, dental caries, retained roots, impacted teeth, radiolucencies, and radiopacities. Results: One or more of these radiographic observations were found in 94.9 % of the examined films. The most frequent findings were alveolar bone loss (79.6 %) and dental caries (79.43%). The total number of natural teeth in men was significantly higher than women (P = 0.047). Conclusion: These results showed the importance of panoramic examination of elderly patients in detecting potential problems before the treatments such as complete denture and also for assessment of overall oral health in the elderly.