Clinical significance and variation of the advanced calcified stylohyoid complex detected by panoramic radiographs among 80-year-old subjects

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical significance and variation of a calcified stylohyoid complex associated with advanced calcification as detected on panoramic radiographs among 80-year-old subjects. Methods: Panoramic radiographs of 659 patients (262 men and 397 women) and data of their general and dental health conditions were used for the evaluation of the relationship between a calcified stylohyoid complex and general health among 80-year-olds. This study was part of the 8020 Data Bank Survey, which was designed to collect the baseline data of general and dental health conditions in 80-year-old subjects. The morphology of the calcified stylohyoid complexes was allocated to one of 12 patterns. The lengths of the calcified stylohyoid complex were measured directly on the radiographs from the caudal margin of the tympanic plate to the tip of the styloid process. Results: All of the stylohyoid complexes from the 659 panoramic radiographs could be allocated to one of 12 morphological patterns, and some o...