Use of transcranial radiograph to detect morphological changes in mandibular condyles

ABSTRACT Purpose: to evaluate the accuracy of conventional transcranial radiographs (TRANS) to identify morphological changes in mandibular condyles. Methods: the sample consisted of 36 mandibular condyles, obtained from 18, randomly selected, dried human skulls, without the identification of age, gender, or ethnicity. Three experts in dental radiology examined the TRANS to identify possible changes in the condyles. The fourth examiner performed the macroscopic examination, which was considered the gold standard of the study. The condyles in both TRANS images and macroscopic examinations were classified as mandibular condyles with change (1) or no change (0). Statistical analyses were performed using the X 2 and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Kappa intra- and interobserver tests were performed for examiners 1 to 3. Results: the X2 test showed a statistically significant association between changes in the condyle in the TRANS images and the presence of macroscopic changes in the condyle (p ( 0.05). The area under the curve was 0.83, with 96% sensitivity and 70% specificity. The weighted kappa value for intraobserver agreement was 0.78, while the interobserver agreement was 0.71. Conclusion: the use of TRANS proved to be an effective method to detect morphological changes in the mandibular condyle.