3D imaging in dentofacial orthopedics: the essential multifunctional tool

Abstract

Digital technology has invaded all the fields of activity of our modern society, including our practice, with the possibility to perform 3D imaging, mainly by the intraoral 3D scan camera which allows to digitize the dental arches, but also by the cone beam which allows to virtualize the patient's skull, in whole or in part. In this article, we will present the complete file of a patient suffering from a temporomandibular dysfunction, for which a 3D reconstruction technique easily usable today has been used. The reconstructed 3D images are of great importance for the diagnosis, but also for the therapeutic planning and its follow-up. The examination time is short and the X-ray dose inflicted on the patient is lower than with conventional CT and approaches the dose emitted for a teleradiographic cephalometric examination with the use of Ultra Low Dose technology. This 3D technique can therefore be considered as the imaging technique to be favored when the investigation of bony changes of the temporomandibular joint is to be recorded, even if this examination is not for the moment a first-line examination. However, it will only be one of the decision support tools and will not be able to replace the treatment prescription.