MORPHOLOGIC OPERATIONS USED TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN 2 PATIENT POPULATIONS DIFFERING IN PERIODONTAL HEALTH

Objectives, This study was conducted to determine whether morphologic operation procedures applied to digitized, non-standardized, clinical radiographs of mandibular alveolar bone could be used to distinguish b etween a population of patients diagnosed With periodontitis and a pop ulation of patients either diagnosed with gingivitis or having healthy gingivae. Study design, Two groups, one consisting of 29 patients who either had healthy gingivae or had been diagnosed with gingivitis and the other consisting of 32 patients who had been diagnosed with perio dontitis, were compared. Pre-existing clinical radiographs were digiti zed, and for each patient three to six regions of interest were placed on an image of the mandibular posterior region of the interdental bon e. The regions of interest were processed under two morphologic-operat ions protocols, and a mean density (referred to as an MO number) was c alculated for each patient. With paired t-tests, the resulting MO numb ers for the two groups were compared. Results. The two populations wer e statistically different (p < 0.05). Conclusion, The results of this study indicate that morphologic operations have the potential to diffe rentiate between patient groups differing in periodontal health.