JOMPAC
Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care

Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care (JOMPAC) is an open access scientific journal with independent, unbiased, and double-blind review under international guidelines. The purpose of JOMPAC is to contribute to the literature by publishing articles on health sciences and medicine.

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Original Article
Fractal analysis of mandibular condyle trabecular structure in children
Abstract
Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the trabecular structure of the mandibular condyle with age in children using fractal analysis (FA) on dental panoramic radiographs (DPRs) and to evaluate the fractal dimension (FD) differences according to age groups and gender.
Methods: In this retrospective study, 110 pediatric patients with DPR were divided into 2 groups according to age: 6-8 age group (n=55, mean: 6.8±0.704 years), 9-12 age group (n=55, mean: 11.18±1.775 years). FD values obtained from the right and left mandibular condyle were analyzed according to age and gender. For the calculation of FD, a 40x40 pixel square region of interest (ROI) was selected from the geometric center of both mandibular condyles. Image J version 1.52 software was used to obtain FD values by box counting method. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics program. T-test was used to compare parametric data and Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare non-parametric data. Statistical significance level was determined as p<0.05.
Results: The mean FD of the right condyle was 1.046±0.086 and the mean FD of the left condyle was 1.201±1.205 in the 9-12 age group; the mean FD of the right condyle was 0.909±0.063 and the mean FD of the left condyle was 0.924±0.08 in the 6-8 age group. The mean FD values of both condyles increased with age and this increase was statistically significant (p<0.001). There was no significant difference between the mean FD values of the right and left condyles between genders in the same age group (p>0.05).
Conclusion: In the present study, FD values were determined for the trabecular structure of the mandibular condyle in healthy children. The results of the study showed that the FD values obtained from both mandibular condyles on DPRs in children increased with age.

Keywords : Fractal analysis, panoramic radiograph, pediatric patients

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Article available in :
Volume 6, Issue 2, 2025
Page : 138-142
https://doi.org/10.47582/jompac.1644907
Article Information
Received : 22 Şub 2025
Accepted : 17 Mar 2025
Published : 23 Mar 2025
Corresponding Author :

Elif Meltem Aslan: Department of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Lokman Hekim University, Ankara, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Aslan EM, Oda G. Fractal analysis of mandibular condyle trabecular structure in children. J Med Palliat Care. 2025;6(2):138-142.

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