Comparative study of dentascan and radiography for radiological evaluation of impacted teeth.

Abstract

Impacted teeth present a very common problem in dentistry due to the variable numbers of problems they cause. They have previously been imaged by radiography which is very inaccurate. Dental CT is an upcoming modality which very accurately images the teeth. The aim of our study was to compare the efficacy of Dental CT with radiography in assessing the morphology of the impacted tooth and its relation to adjacent structures. We conducted a hospital based prospective study in which all patients with impacted teeth who underwent Dental CT and Radiographic evaluation were evaluated. The morphology of all the teeth was well visualized on CT. Resorption of adjacent tooth was missed in 7 teeth by radiography. In a significant number of cases (10/30) the relation of the impacted tooth with the mandibular canal could not be visualized on the radiographs. We concluded that Dental CT yields markedly better information than radiographs regarding impacted teeth with respect to divergence of the roots, relation of the impacted tooth with the adjacent tooth, nasal floor, maxillary sinus and mandibular canal. However, Dental CT was found to be only marginally better than Radiographs for assessment of number of roots, inclination of the impacted tooth and relation of the tooth with alveolar crest. Dental CT was also proved to be an indispensable diagnostic tool for the determination of the buccolingual inclination and relationsof the impacted tooth.