Research on calcifications in the cervical region using panoramic and teleradiographic techniques

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the contribution of lateral and frontal teleradiographs to the identification and location of calcifications in soft tissues, when compared with those observed in panoramic radiographs. Methods: Radiopaque references in gutta-percha were placed unilaterally on the heads of three cadavers, endeavoring at all times to keep to the same level as the bifurcation of the common carotid artery in different structures, sites of possible calcifications, and three radiographic incidences were obtained for each anatomic part. Thus, the sample of this study was composed of 27 panoramic radiographs, 27 lateral teleradiographs and 27 frontal teleradiographs, totaling 81 radiographs. Results: According to the criteria of Cicchetti and Sparrow, the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) obtained were below 0.40. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the lateral and frontal teleradiographs did not contribute efficiently to the identification and location of radiopacities in the cervical region, and that the anatomic conformation interferes in the observation of the presence of radiopacity in the cervical region.