AN UNEXPECTED GHOST IMAGE

Köse T. E.

1. INTERNATIONAL ORDU SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CONGRESS, Ordu, Türkiye, 13 - 14 Nisan 2026, ss.123, (Özet Bildiri)

  • Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
  • Basıldığı Şehir: Ordu
  • Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.123
  • Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Panoramic radiography retains its importance in dentistry despite newer technologies like cone beam computed tomography, but its interpretation presents challenges due to artifacts such as ghost images, which originate from dense objects in the external environment and can sometimes be confused with real pathological conditions. These artifacts are characterized as mispositioned, blurred, and magnified reflections of objects outside the focal plane, appearing in a higher position than the source object due to the angle of the X-ray beam. Other characteristics include the ghost image being closer medial to the source object, being larger, and having less clarity. In a 15-year-old patient who presented to the clinic for orthodontic treatment, a hyperdense, tooth-like focus giving the impression of an ectopic supernumerary tooth was noted on panoramic radiography, in addition to a mucosal cyst at the base of the left maxillary sinus. However, examination with cone beam computed tomography imaging showed that this misleading image was not a real tooth. It was determined that the image in question was a ghost image originating from the upper right impacted tooth number eight. This case demonstrates that while ghost images most commonly originate from metallic objects, they can also be caused by normal anatomical structures such as impacted teeth, leading to misdiagnosis. Therefore, it is vital for dental practitioners to recognize the characteristic features of ghost images and always consider the possibility of artifacts when interpreting unusual hyperdense areas on panoramic radiographs to prevent unnecessary treatment and diagnostic errors.