Off to a fun anatomy to start the new year off and it’s been a while since I’ve shown a few more examples of this one. This one sometimes tricks a few people at first when trying to figure it out. This week is a soft tissue entity visible on both intraoral and extraoral radiographs. The nasolabial fold presents as a diagonal transition line. A transition line presents as a line where part of the radiograph appears more radiopaque due to superimposition of soft tissue. The nasolabial fold is seen over the maxillary premolar and canine regions.
![](https://drgstoothpix.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/nasolabial-fold-pantomograph-drgstoothpix-012018.jpg)
Pantomograph with the nasolabial fold noted with yellow lines. It is easier to detect on this view when a patient is edentulous in this area and it is more pronounced on patients (typically older individuals).
![](https://drgstoothpix.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/nasolabial-fold-periapical-radiograph-drgstoothpix-012018.jpg)
Periapical radiograph showing the nasolabial fold with a yellow line. Again it is easier to detect in edentulous areas.
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