Screening of osteoporosis using 3D fractal dimension analysis of trabecular pattern in the dental radiogram

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Improving pixel dilation method which is developed as a measurement method of 2D fractal dimension, the authors developed modified pixel dilation method which is more accurate method of measurement of fractal dimension. We spread the 2D method to 3D method and could measure 3D fractal dimension of the trabecular pattern of the mandibular bone in dental radiograms using the 3D method. The 3D method, boxel dilation method, can make it possible to measure the 3D fractal dimension. It was ascertained that the measurement accuracy was enough. Fractal analysis of the trabecular pattern using the boxel dilation method makes it possible to analyze the bone mineral density and it was possible to improve the accuracy of the measurement by deleting the noise in the dental radiogram.In the present study, the bone mineral density of the mandibular bone in the patients who was suspected osteoporosis didn't reflect the bone mineral density in the body (lumber mineral density) so that we couldn't make different diagnosis of osteoporosis. However, it was possible to estimate the bone mineral density using the fractal analysis of the region reflecting the whole bone mineral density and the present method is expected to be convenient and sensitive method for early diagnosis of osteoporosis.