AWARENESS OF THE USE OF OPG AS A STANDARD PATIENT RECORD IN ROUTINE DENTAL PRACTICE

Abstract

Introduction: OPG is a panoramic or wide view x-ray of the lower face, which displays all the teeth of the upper and lower jaw on a single film. It demonstrates the number, position and growth of all the teeth including those that have not yet surfaced or erupted. It may also reveal problems with the jawbone and the joint which connects the jawbone to the head, called the Temporomandibular joint or TMJ.

Aim: To spread awareness of the use of OPG as a standard patient record in routine dental practice 

Materials and Methods: To estimate awareness and spread the use of OPG as a standard patient record in routine dental practice A questionnaire will be prepared and distributed to 100 dental patients in Saveetha Dental College . The resulting data will be used for statistical analysis. Data was collected and with the help of SPSS software data was analysed.

Results :OPG shouldn’t be used as a standard patient record in routine dental practice unless needed. Chi square test was done between groups and the  P value = 0.392

(> 0.05) hence not statistically significant.

Conclusion: OPG has less amount of radiation exposure and takes less amount of time.It  can be used for periodontal bone loss, impacted wisdom teeth, TMJ, orthodontic assessments . Orthopantomogramme are commonly performed and generally safe.