Reliability of marginal bone level measurements on digital panoramic and digital intraoral radiographs.

Bitewing examination should be the choice of image modality for assessment of marginal bone level at premolar region due to good to excellent reliability and low radiation dose. However if a panoramic radiograph already exists, a rough estimation of marginal bone level at premolar region is clinically acceptable bearing in mind that the bone height of the mandible premolar region might be overestimated as compared to bitewing radiograph.