Common errors on panoramic radiographs taken in a dental school.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the frequency of common errors seen on panoramic radiographs taken in the Radiology Department of a dental school by trained assistants. Four hundred and sixty radiographs were evaluated for 20 categories of common errors. Out of the evaluated radiographs, 37.61% were found to be error-free. The most common errors were found to be the palatoglossal airspace shadow of air above the tongue due to the patient not raising the tongue against the palate (46.30%) and the superimposition of hyoid bone with the mandible (26.30%) respectively. The least common error was found to be dirty or bent films (0.21%). The quality of panoramic radiographs could be enhanced by improving radiographic technique.