Chithralekha B and Vivek Narayan*
Radiographic incidental findings of abnormality refers to the occult or hidden abnormality that exhibits no clinical signs and symptoms but is present as an incidental finding when the radiograph is taken to detect some pathology related to the patient's chief complaint. OPG or panoramic radiography is a routinely taken extraoral radiograph which shows the teeth and the maxillofacial structures and along with incidental findings. The study was performed in a university setting, it reviewed patient records and analysed the panoramic radiographs of 400 patients. The collected data were compiled and tabulated using Microsoft Excel, then reviewed and exported to SPSS for performing statistical analysis. The prevalence of the incidental findings was found to be 34.5 %. A female predilection was observed (19.75 %) and patients belonging to the 30 - 39 years had a greater number of incidental findings (18 %). Impacted third molar (10.5 %) and enostoses (3 %) were the common incidental findings. Early diagnosis of incidental pathologies will provide important preoperative information which leads to better treatment planning for the patient.
