Should PRs Be Based on Age-Based Prevalence of Dental Anomalies, Pathologies?

Background: American Dental Association (ADA) and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) have published guidelines for prescribing radiographs in children mostly based on the dental development status of the child and not age. Objective: To evaluate an age-based prevalence of developmental anomalies and pathology (DDAP), and to determine the threshold age for detection of developmental anomalies and pathology. Methods: 581 panoramic radiographs (PRs) from healthy nonsyndromic children aged 6 to 18 years were selected. Calibrated personnel reviewed the PRs for DDAPs that included crown, pulp, root, numbers, and positional and structural anomalies. Descriptive statistics were developed. Optimal age cutoffs for predicting anomalies were determined. Results: Of 581 PRs, 57% were from males; overall prevalence of DDAPs was 74%. The optimal age cutoff for any anomaly was 9 years followed by the ages of 12 and 15 years. The prevalence of DDAPs was comparable to other reported studie more...