Although panoramic radiographs are less reliable than periapical radiographs, they can be used for assessment of the trabecular bone pattern with the aid of a visual index. Training on the method is recommended to obtain results with a high reproducibility.

Objective. To assess changes of the alveolar trabecular bone during growth using panoramic radiographs and to detect possible differences in trabecular bone patterns when comparing individuals of various ages and genders. Materials and methods. Conventional panoramic radiographs of 18 young (eight females, 10 males) and 21 adult (12 females, nine males) subjects were taken at 2 years (T1) and 10 years (T2) after the end of orthodontic treatment. At T1, mean ages were 15.6 ± 0.9 years and 31.3 ± 9.7 years in the young and the adult groups, respectively. A three-scale visual analysis was used to evaluate bilaterally the alveolar bone trabeculation in the interdental spaces, from the distal side of the first mandibular premolar to the mesial side of the second lower molar. An analysis of variance (ANOVA), associated with t-tests whenever significance was found, was used to appraise the role of the age, the extent of the follow-up period and the gender on trabecular bone structure. Results. The adult group had a denser alveolar bone trabeculation, compared to the young group. This was also observed in the 8 years followup recordings among the adults, but no statistically significant differences were found in the growing individuals. No gender discrepancy was detected. Conclusions. From puberty to the middle age adulthood, denser alveolar bone trabeculation in the mandible seems to be related to the age. No differences were found between male and female subjects in the sample.

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