Imaging Sci Dent.
2024 Dec;54(4):3345-353. 10.5624/isd.20240065.
Fractal analysis of jawbone structure in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
- 2Department of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey
- 3Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey
- 4Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey
- 5Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey
- KMID: 2563330
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.5624/isd.20240065
Abstract
- Purpose
Periarticular and generalized osteoporosis are well-known comorbidities of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), associated with either the disease itself or glucocorticoid therapy. This study was performed to quantitatively evaluate changes in the jawbones of patients with RA using fractal analysis (FA).
Materials and Methods
The study comprised 186 participants, including 144 women and 42 men. Of these, 93 were patients with RA and 93 were healthy controls. For the RA group, disease duration, laboratory findings, and medication use were recorded. Measurements of fractal dimension (FD), lacunarity (Lac), bone area fraction (BA/ TA), and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) were taken at the mandibular condyle and angle. These measurements were obtained from panoramic radiographs using ImageJ version 1.52p (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA).
Results
Relative to control participants, patients with RA exhibited higher FD values for both mandibular condyle and angle regions (P<0.05). Conversely, the RA group displayed lower Lac values for both regions (P<0.05). Similarly, Tb.Th values were significantly lower in the RA patient group for both the condyle and the angle (P<0.05). Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was identified between disease duration and FD at the mandibular condyle (P<0.05).
Conclusion
The results demonstrate that FA can be used to quantitatively assess changes in trabecular bone in the jawbones of patients with RA. Image analysis parameters derived from panoramic radiographs, including FA, Lac, BA/TA, and Tb.Th, hold promise in guiding patients with RA toward appropriate medical examinations.
