Letters to the Editor

A new artefact source

I would like to draw the attention of readers to a new artefact source that may start to be seen more regularly. In the current era of the COVID-19 pandemic, the uptake of wearing masks has dramatically increased, and in certain places, it is compulsory to wear one unless there is an exemption.¹

Here we see the artefact of the metal wire in a surgical mask on an orthopantomogram (OPG) in a male in his 20s who presented to A&E with bilateral mandibular angle fractures (Figure 1).

This artefact has the potential to cause confusion to the interpreter of the radiograph. With homemade and fashion masks also being available to patients, different artefact patterns may be observed by your readers. Here, I aim to highlight this as a potential artefact source.