In order to recover from tooth loss caused by periodontitis, considerable economic burdens may
be caused and dental health inequalities may increase. Therefore, there is a continuing need for the
introduction of oral panoramic X-ray in national health...
In order to recover from tooth loss caused by periodontitis, considerable economic burdens may
be caused and dental health inequalities may increase. Therefore, there is a continuing need for the
introduction of oral panoramic X-ray in national health screening program for early diagnosis of
periodontitis. This study is purposed to examine the status of oral panoramic X-ray performed in
foreign countries; to review evidence regarding effectiveness and safety on oral panoramic X-ray
according to the principles of national health screening; to review the literature on oral panoramic
X-ray in a systematic review; and to evaluate economic efficiency of introducing the oral panoramic
X-ray.
Comprehensive study results based on the national health screening principles are as follows:
First, the prevalence of the periodontal disease (age 19 and over, standardization) in Korea is 26.4%
in 2015 and it steadily increases after the 40s, showing the highest prevalence in the 60s. As of 2012,
the DALY due to periodontal disease is 425 per 100,000 population, ranking 14th among 30 diseases.
Periodontitis is considered a significant health problem when considering prevalence and disease burden.
Second, there is no relevant evidence regarding whether the oral panoramic X-ray involves
diagnosis accuracy as a screening method for periodontitis. The treatment benefit of scaling and root
planning (SRP), as the standard treatment for periodontal disease, is confirmed by clinical indicators
such as clinical attachment level (CAL) and probing pocket depth (PPD). However, the literature on
the benefits of early detection and treatment of periodontitis is not available.
Third, oral panoramic X-ray is already widely used in the clinical field and currently, 94.2% of the
oral screening institutions has oral panoramic equipment, showing that related infrastructure and
acceptability of people is sufficient. However, there is no systematic quality control mechanism for
oral panoramic X-ray at present.
Fourth, there is no direct evidence regarding benefits on health promotion when using the oral
panoramic X-ray for oral health screening. There is insufficient evidence to assess the harm of oral
panoramic X-ray.
Fifth, according to the previous study evaluating the cost effectiveness of introducing oral
panoramic X-ray as a screening item, oral panoramic X-ray is likely to be cost-effective. However
in this study, the introduction of the oral panoramic X-ray for the national screening program for
early diagnosis of periodontitis based on QALY was not considered to be cost-effective. The
uncertainty of input parameters for cost-effectiveness, such as effectiveness of screening (relative
risk of extraction), success rate of implant and implant cost, is high.
As for the oral panoramic X-ray which may be included as the national health screening item,
there is no sufficient evidence regarding benefits and harms of it, even though the periodontitis has
high disease burden and there is enough infrastructure to conduct the oral panoramic X-ray. The
cost-effectiveness of the X-ray is a result of analysis based on a assumed scenario which considers
currently available sources and clinical advisory. Therefore, the cost-effectiveness should be reviewed
again, after a clinical study on the oral panoramic X-ray is conducted later