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A Comparison of 2 Patient Populations Using Fractal Analysis
Author(s) -
Shrout Michael K.,
Roberson Bradley,
Potter Brad J.,
Mailhot Jason M.,
Hildebolt Charles F.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.036
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1943-3670
pISSN - 0022-3492
DOI - 10.1902/jop.1998.69.1.9
Subject(s) - gingivitis , fractal dimension , fractal , periodontitis , medicine , dentistry , population , radiography , dental alveolus , fractal analysis , orthodontics , mathematics , radiology , mathematical analysis , environmental health
This study was undertaken to demonstrate that the fractal dimensions calculated using digitized non‐standardized, clinical radiographs of mandibular alveolar bone from a population of patients diagnosed with periodontitis are statistically different from fractal dimensions calculated from another population diagnosed as having gingivitis or healthy gingiva. The fractal dimension was calculated using a public domain fractal analysis program distributed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Fractal dimensions were calculated from digitized clinical radiographs for 29 patients diagnosed with healthy gingiva and/or gingivitis and 32 patients diagnosed with periodontitis and compared. To estimate the reproducibility of the technique, we recalculated the fractal dimension from images of the gingivitis patients 3 months after the original calculations and compared them to the originals. A 2 sample, 2‐tailed Student t test showed the gingivitis data group to be different from the periodontitis data group ( P = 0.0012). The original gingivitis and repeat gingivitis groups fractal dimension calculation were the same and analysis showed the two data sets were not significantly different ( P = 0.99). We found that: 1) fractal dimensions could be used to distinguish between gingivitis and periodontitis patient groups; 2) fractal dimensions could be calculated from non‐standardized clinical radiographs; and 3) fractal dimensions for gingivitis patients were reproducible over a 3‐month period. J Periodontol 1998;69:9–13 .