Morphological and trabecular structure study in oncologic individuals in use of antiresorptive medication

Abstract

Aim  Evaluate changes in and the complexity of the bone trabeculae in individuals with cancer using or not using antiresorptive drugs through the panoramic morphometric indices and fractal dimension.

Methods  Clinical records and panoramic radiographs of individuals with cancer were analyzed. The risk group (RG) consisted of 22 individuals using zoledronic acid or denosumab for a minimum period of 12 months. The control group (CG) consisted of 26 individuals without any antiresorptive drugs. Linear measurements were performed for the panoramic radiomorphometric indices and the fractal dimension in four different regions of interest (ROI).

Results  In RG it was observed that 72.7% of the patients were using zoledronic acid, while 27.3% were using denosumab. In the fractal dimension analysis, the ROIs of the mandibular angle (p = 0.000) and premolar region (p = 0.005) of the RG showed significant changes in bone complexity when compared to the CG. In the analysis of panoramic radiomorphometric indices, the mental index showed a significant increase in linear measurements of the RG compared to the CG (p = 0.008).

Conclusion  The fractal dimension analysis of the mandibular angle and premolar regions in the RG indicated greater bone complexity compared to the CG.

Keywords
Fractals; Radiography, panoramic; Mandible; Osteonecrosis