Análise quantitativa das possíveis alterações morfológicas do processo estilóide: raridade ou frequência não diagnosticada?

Abstract

Introduction: It is extremely important that during dental interventions, the dental surgeon knows how to recognize the changes present in the oral and perioral cavity. Through clinical and radiographic examination, it is possible to identify alterations such as elongation of the styloid process and calcification of the stylohyoid ligament, which are relatively common findings in the routine interpretation of panoramic radiographs. Such findings together with certain symptoms such as pain, dysphagia, dysphonia, limitation of cervical movements, can configure the clinical condition called Eagle Syndrome. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of elongation of the styloid process and/or calcification of the stylohyoid ligament in the last panoramic radiographic examinations of the archive of the year 2021, from the CEDDRO Ltda clinic. Materials and method: The study was based on document analysis of 386 panoramic radiographs of patients aged between 5 and 85 years of both sexes. In the analysis, aspects such as sex, age, presence of calcification of the stylohyoid ligament and/or elongation of the styloid process, antimeres affected, type of styloid process, degree of calcification and preexistence analyzed in previous radiographs were evaluated. Data were submitted to statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney test with p<0.05. Result: 40% was obtained as an incidence of stylohyoid ligament calcification, which was bilateral in most cases. It was noted that older individuals are more likely to present elongation of the styloid process and/or calcification of the stylohyoid ligament, in addition, there was a preponderance of the type III styloid process. Conclusion: The morphological alterations of the styloid process can be considered a frequent finding in panoramic radiographs, showing how fundamental the attention of the professional is to this condition that can bring significant symptoms to the patient.