Evaluation of the reliability and repeatability of mandibularangle measurements on panoramic and cephalometricradiographs

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether panoramic radiographs can be used as an alternative to lateral cephalometric radiography for mandibular angle and dimensional measurements. Materials and Methods: In our study, cephalometric and panoramic radiographs taken in the Department of Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey were analysed. A total of 141 panoramic and cephalometric radiographs of 141 patients, 76 females and 65 males, aged 10-18 years, obtained between 2022 and 2023 were included in this study. Findings: No statistically significant difference was observed between the Co-Go, Co-Me and gonial angle measurements evaluated by two observers with two different radiographs (p>0.05). Excellent agrement was observed between the first and second measurements within the range of 0.945-0.996. The interobserver agrement coefficients of the first and second mandibular angle and measurements were between 0.933-0.998 (perfect agrement). When the agrement of mandibular angles and measurements between panoramic and cephalometric radiographs was evaluated; Co-Go and Go-Me measurements of the first and second observers were in poor agrement, while the gonial angle measurement was between 0.929-0.937 in the first measurement and between 0.943-0.938 in the second measurement (excellent agrement). When the comparison of mandibular angle and dimensional measurements of the observers between panoramic and cephalometric radiographs was evaluated, a significant difference was found between the Co-Go, Go-Me, and gonial angle measurements of the first and second observer in the first and second measurements (p<0.001). A significant difference was found in Co-Go averages according to gender. There was no significant difference in Gonial angle and Go-Me measurements according to gender (p<0,059). Conclusion: A significant difference was found between the first and second measurement of Co-Go, Go-Me, and gonial angle between panoramic and cephalometric radiographs (p<0.001). According to the results of our study, it can be said that panoramic radiographs cannot be an alternative to cephalometric radiographs, but predictions can be made in the angular dimension (gonial angle) with panoramic radiographs, limitedly. The fact that no significant difference was found in the measurement of the gonial angle according to gender showed that no comment could be made about gender based on the gonial angle. Key Words: Gonial angle, Panoramic radiography, Cephalometric radiograph