Fractal analysis and radiomorphometric indices: comparison of mandibular bone structure changes on digital panoramic radiographs of smokers

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess how smoking affected the mandibular bone structure using a variety of radiomorphometric indices and fractal dimension (FD) analysis. Materials and methods: 56 patients (28 smokers and 28 non-smokers) were included in this retrospective study. In the trabecular bone of the mandible, eight areas of interest of 45x45 pixels were chosen, and fractal dimension analysis was carried out. All digital panoramic radiographs were used to measure the mandibular index and mandibular cortical width. All values were compared between groups. Utilizing the Shapiro-Wilk and Mann-Whitney U tests, collected data were evaluated. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in ROI4 and ROI8, but not in the mean FD values of ROI1, ROI2, ROI3, ROI5, ROI6 and ROI7 in the mandibular trabecular bone. No statistically significant differences between groups were seen for PMI and MCW measures (p > .05). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values for the FD, PMI and MCW measurements were excellent. Conclusion: The trabecular bone structures of the anterior of the mental foramen and the condyle were different in smokers. There was no difference in cortical bone structures.