Carotid atheromas in panoramic radiographs: how can the general practioner identify?

Abstract

The presence of carotid atheroma is associated with the development of stroke, angina, myocardial infarction and death. As long as panoramic radiography is one of the most used exams in routine dental care, is very important for the general dentist to evidence calcified carotid artery atheromas of the patients, in order to direct them to the medical evaluation in which other procedures will be done to confirm the diagnosis and appropriated treatment. We evaluated inactive patient records from the College of Dentistry of Estácio de Sá University (RJ, Brazil). From the total of 29 patients examined, 6 (20.68%) had carotid atheroma. These patients were aged between 52 and 73 years. The objective of this paper is to elucidate how the carotid atheroma can be seen on panoramic radiographs by the general dentist.