EC Dental Science

Ponticulus Posticus (PP) also known as arcuate foramen, is a bony anomaly that cannot be neglected. Studies have used two-dimensional (2D) lateral cephalograms to determine the prevalence of PP. However, only a few have used cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), a reliable three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique, to investigate this anomaly. Articles about the use of CBCT to determine the prevalence of PP were searched in the PubMed database. This article aims to review PP related researches, which studied the population using CBCT. Seven articles from six countries comprising 2,056 individuals were examined based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The average prevalence of PP using CBCT was 34.4% (range, 7% - 42%). The prevalence was higher in those with migraine than in healthy individuals. No significant differences in prevalence were observed based on gender, location (bilateral vs. unilateral), side (left vs. right), and type (partial vs. complete). Agreements in the prevalence and diagnosis between CBCT images and lateral cephalograms were found to be good in most cases; however, disagreements were encountered in some studies. These findings indicate that a reliable data source can be obtained using 3D imaging techniques to investigate PPs. The prevalence of this anomaly is higher among individuals with migraine. However, it is not significantly associated with age or sex. Despite being able to detect PPs in both lateral cephalograms and CBCT images, the data can be recorded with more precision and detail via CBCT.

 Keywords: Ponticulus Posticus; CBCT; Lateral Cephalogram; Prevalence; Migraine; Artificial Intelligence

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