Visualizing arteriosclerosis in dental radiographic shots: case report and literature review.

Dentists are trained to identify atheromatous plaques of the intimal layer of the common carotid artery on panoramic radiographs, but are less familiar with medial layer arteriosclerosis, which results in “pipe-stem” calcifications that may present on intraoral as well as extraoral dental radiographs. Medial arteriosclerosis is often found in diabetics and patients with chronic kidney disease, and is a strong predictor of stroke and cardiovascular events. Two case reports are presented that illustrate the presentation of medial arteriosclerosis in facial and maxillary arteries on dental radiographs. Dentists can play an important role in identifying patients at risk for stroke and cardiovascular events.