What structure are the arrows pointing to in the panoramic radiograph?

Correct answer: D. Hyoid bone

• A. The inferior border of the mandible is a continuous radiopaque line, not a separate horseshoe-shaped structure below it.
• B. Calcified carotid atheroma appears as a vertically oriented radiopaque nodular mass near C3-C4, posterior/inferior to the angle of the mandible, with an irregular calcified appearance distinct from a smooth bony structure.
• C. A sialolith (salivary stone) appears as an irregular, often layered radiopacity along the course of a salivary duct/gland, not as a smooth horseshoe-shaped bone.
• D. Correct. The hyoid bone is a horseshoe-shaped bone between the chin and thyroid cartilage, usually at the level of C3, and typically appears bilaterally below the inferior border of the mandible on a panoramic radiograph.

Note: They give a cephalometric image similar to the one in Bootcamp to mark option B (calcified atheroma) — don't confuse it with the hyoid bone question.