Dental materials and radiology: Paget disease of the jaw: practice question

A Dentistry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Dentistry · Dental materials and radiology: Paget disease of the jaw

Sample item

An elderly man complains that his upper denture no longer fits. His alkaline phosphatase is raised and the maxilla shows a cotton wool appearance with hypercementosis. What is the diagnosis?

AHyperparathyroidismBOsteopetrosisCPaget disease of boneDMultiple myeloma

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Paget disease of bone

Paget disease causes maxillary enlargement with loss of denture fit, raised alkaline phosphatase and a cotton wool radiographic pattern. Hypercementosis is common.

Option by option

A. Hyperparathyroidism
Hyperparathyroidism shows loss of lamina dura and ground glass bone with raised calcium.
B. Osteopetrosis
Osteopetrosis gives dense bone with normal ALP and often anaemia.
C. Paget disease of bone (correct)
Correct. Cotton wool changes and high ALP indicate Paget disease.
D. Multiple myeloma
Myeloma produces punched-out lesions and normal ALP.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Dentistry question

What is the answer to this Dentistry question?

The best answer is C, Paget disease of bone. Paget disease causes maxillary enlargement with loss of denture fit, raised alkaline phosphatase and a cotton wool radiographic pattern.

Why is "Hyperparathyroidism" not the answer?

Hyperparathyroidism shows loss of lamina dura and ground glass bone with raised calcium.

Why is "Osteopetrosis" not the answer?

Osteopetrosis gives dense bone with normal ALP and often anaemia.

Why is "Multiple myeloma" not the answer?

Myeloma produces punched-out lesions and normal ALP.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Dental materials and radiology: Paget disease of the jaw in Dentistry. Hypercementosis is common.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Dental materials and radiology: Paget disease of the jaw?

Learn the dental formula, eruption ages and tooth structure once, as tables. Then use the flashcards and the other Dentistry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.