assessment of the relation of mandibular cortical index and gonial angle size in an adult iranian population using digital panoramic radiography

objectives: this study sought to assess the relation of mandibular cortical index (mci) with age, gender and gonial angle size in an iranian adult population using digital panoramic radiography. methods: we evaluated 370 digital panoramic radiographs of patients and divided them into five 10-year age groups. each radiograph was assigned to low (≤120°) or high (≥125°) angle groups in terms of the gonial angle size. the mci class was also determined for each individual. the multinomial logistic regression was used to assess statistical differences. results: the mci class was significantly different between males and females and mci class 3 had higher prevalence among older individuals. there was no statistically significant difference in distribution of mci classes between individuals with high and low gonial angles. conclusion: age-related changes in mci support its potential use for detection of skeletal osteopenia.