Prevalence and patterns of palatine and adenoid tonsilloliths in cone‑beam computed tomography images of an Iranian population

Abstract

Background: Tonsilloliths are calcified concretions that develop in tonsillar crypts. They are usually

small and asymptomatic, so they are found accidentally during routine dental radiogrphy procedure.

Large tonsilloliths can occur with clinical signs and symptoms. The purpose of this study was to

evaluate the prevalence and patterns of palatine and adenoid tonsilloliths in cone‑beam computed

tomography (CBCT) images.

Materials and Methods: In this cross‑sectional study, 0.5‑mm axial and coronal slices of 134 CBCT

images were evaluated to determine the presence of palatine and adenoid calcifications. Their

patterns such as being unilateral or bilateral as well as single or multiple and their largest linear

sizes were reported.

Results: Fifty‑four (40.3%) patients with palatine tonsilloliths and 17 (12.7%) with adenoid

calcifications were found. Thirty (55.6%) palatine tonsilloliths were unilateral, 19 (35.2%) were

detected in the left tonsils. Approximately, 54 cases of 78 palatine calcifications were multiple.

Seventeen patients had adenoid calcifications that 41.1% of them were unilateral. Fourteen

adenoid calcifications were single. The mean ages of patients with palatine tonsilloliths and adenoid

calcifications were 45.59 years and 46.53 years, respectively. The range of linear measurements of

palatine tonsil calcifications was 0.9–4.2 mm (2.47‑mm mean size) while adenoid calcifications ranged

from 0.5 to 2.2 mm (0.95‑mm mean size). The level of statistical significant difference was <0.05.

Conclusion: Gender did not affect total prevalence, the pattern of tonsilar calcifications and their

linear sizes. The prevalence of tonsilloliths increased with aging, but this variable did not have an

effect on their linear size.

Key Words: Adenoid, cone‑beam computed tomography, palatine tonsil