Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Jul;39(5):277-83.
doi: 10.1259/dmfr/16271087.

Prevalence of ponticulus posticus in Indian orthodontic patients

V Sharma  1 , D Chaudhary, R Mitra
Affiliations

Prevalence of ponticulus posticus in Indian orthodontic patients

V Sharma et al. Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2010 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of complete ponticulus posticus in Indian orthodontic patients.

Methods: The presence and types of ponticuli posticus were investigated on 858 lateral cephalograms.

Results: Complete ponticulus posticus was found in 4.3% of the subjects studied with a male (5.33%) predominance over female in the population (3.76%).

Conclusions: Ponticulus posticus is not a rare anomaly and the patient must be told of the implications and importance of detecting ponticulus posticus on a lateral cephalogram. This information can prove beneficial for the diagnosis of head and neck symptoms later.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Lateral cephalogram of an orthodontic patient showing normal spine with vertebrae C1–C5
Figure 2
Figure 2
Lateral cephalogram of an orthodontic patient showing cervical spine with complete ponticulus posticus
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cervical spine in lateral cephalogram of a patient illustrating the partial ponticulus posticus, an anomalous bony spicule formed from the superior articulating surface of the atlas but not fused to the posterior arch of the atlas
Figure 4
Figure 4
Cranial view of the atlas vertebra showing the site of formation of ponticulus posticus
Figure 5
Figure 5
CT scan of a patient illustrating the three-dimensional morphology and characterization of complete ponticulus posticus bilaterally
Figure 6
Figure 6
CT scan of a patient illustrating the three-dimensional morphology and characterization of complete ponticulus posticus on left (L) and partial ponticulus posticus on right (R)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hassel B, Farman AG. Skeletal maturation evaluation using cervical vertebrae. Am J Orthod Dentofac Orthop 1995;107:58–66 - PubMed
    1. Baccetti T, Franchi L, McNamara JA., Jr The cervical vertebrae maturation (CVM) method for assessment of optimal treatment timing in dentofacial orthopedics. Sem Orthod 2005;11:119–129
    1. Soni P, Sharma V, Sengupta J. Cervical vertebral anomalies: incidental findings on lateral cephalograms. Angle Orthod 2008;78:176–180 - PubMed
    1. Farman AG, Escobar V. Radiographic appearance of the cervical vertebrae in normal and abnormal development. Br J Oral Surg 1982;20:264–74 - PubMed
    1. Ghanayem AJ, Paxinos O. Functional anatomy of joints, ligaments and disc. Clark CR (ed. In: ) The cervical spine (4th edn). Philadelphia Lippincotth Williams and Wilkins, 2005, pp 46–54.