causes of widening of PDL

1. Causes of widening of PDL
Ammar G. Salem

2. • Widening of PDL can be Localized or Generalized.
• This localization or generalization is based on area of root or number
of involving teeth.

3. • Periapical inflammation (Apical periodontitis) can lead to widening
of apical PDL.
• Condensing osteitis can show widening of apical PDL.
• Traumatic occlusion due to excessive bite force in extruded teeth,
malaligned teeth, or bruxism.

4. • Orthodontic movement of tooth in which widened PDL present
stretched fibers (tension side).
• Scleroderma in which it affects mutliple teeth in more than one
quadrant.
• Chondrosarcoma it displays widened PDL with adjacent radiopaque
cartilage deposition. (Garrington Sign).

5. • Osteogenic Sarcoma show widened PDL with destruction of adjacent
alveolar bone. Usually symmetrical widening.
• Squamous cell carcinoma it thickened and irregular PDL space along
mesial and distal length of root.
• MRONJ medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, present with
wideneing of PDL and sclerotic lamina dura

6. • Periodontitis, often associated with apical or inter-radicular area
involvement.
• Osteomyelitis, often widened in apical region.
• Radiation induced bony defect.
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

11. Langlais, Robert P, Craig S. Miller, and Jill S. Gehrig. Color Atlas of
Common Oral Diseases. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer
Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009. Print.
Mortazavi, Hamed, and Maryam Baharvand. "Review of
common conditions associated with periodontal ligament
widening." Imaging science in dentistry 46.4 (2016): 229-
237.