Orthopantomogram (OPT)
Definition
A panoramic dental radiograph that images all teeth and the surrounding jaw structures in a single curved-plane projection. Widely used in dental practice and, in forensic identification, as an antemortem record for both dental and frontal sinus comparison.
- Also called
- OPG
- Projection type
- Curved-plane panoramic
- Clinical use
- Routine dental practice
- Forensic use
- Antemortem record for dental and frontal sinus comparison
Common questions
How is an OPT used for frontal sinus comparison rather than just dental identification?+
The panoramic field of an OPT can capture enough of the frontal sinus region at the top of the image that its outline can sometimes be compared against a postmortem radiograph, since frontal sinus shape is considered individually distinctive, though a dedicated skull radiograph gives a clearer sinus view than an OPT alone.
Why is an antemortem OPT particularly valuable when other identification records are missing?+
Routine dental care means many people have an OPT on file with a dentist even without fingerprints or DNA on record anywhere, so when a body is otherwise unidentified, tracking down a dental practice's archived panoramic film can provide a comparison record that would not exist through any other route.
Related terms
- ABFA
- American Board of Forensic Anthropology. The primary US credentialing body for forensic anthropologists. Accepts frontal sinus radiographic comparison as an established personal...
- Comparative Radiography
- The forensic discipline of placing an antemortem radiographic image alongside a postmortem image and comparing feature by feature to determine whether they...
- DVI
- Disaster Victim Identification. The multi-agency identification process used in mass-casualty events. Comparative radiographic methods, including frontal sinus, dental and implant comparison, form...
- Exclusion
- The categorical conclusion that one or more examined features are clearly inconsistent in a way that cannot be explained by projection angle,...
- Frontal Sinus
- Bilateral air-filled cavities within the frontal bone, superior to the orbits, that pneumatise from the embryonic frontal recess of the nasal passages....
- Positive Identification
- The categorical conclusion in comparative radiography that all examined features are concordant, no feature is inconsistent, and the overall pattern of correspondence...
- SWGANTH
- Scientific Working Group for Forensic Anthropology. A US expert panel that produced guidance documents (2008-2013) on standards for forensic anthropological practice, now...
- UDI
- Unique Device Identifier. A code mandated by the FDA (US) and EU MDR on every medical device, encoding manufacturer, model, lot and...
- Vertebral Osteophyte
- A bony outgrowth from the margin of a vertebral body, typically caused by degenerative disc disease or spondylosis. The size, shape, position...