Carotid Artery Calcification: A Digital Panoramic-Based Study

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of carotid artery calcification (CAC) in a sample of Lebanese population using digital panoramic radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Panoramic radiographs of 500 patients (281 females and 219 males), aged between 18 and 88 years (mean: 47.9 years), were assessed for CAC. Data collected were analyzed statistically using IBM® SPSS® for Windows version 20.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS CAC were found in 34 cases (6.8%), among them, 23 females (8.18%) and 11 males (5.02%). Six of all the calcifications were on the right side, against six on the left side, and 22 on both sides. The mean age of patients affected with CAC was 60.9 years (ranging from 18 to 88 years). Chi-square test showed no statistical significance between gender and CAC, while Spearman correlation analysis showed positive low correlation with age (r = 0.179). CONCLUSION CAC can be found on routine panoramic radiographs taken in dental clinics; dentists should automatically refer the patients in question for specialized medical evaluation.