Comparison of the influence of FOV sizes and different voxel resolutions for the assessment of periodontal defects.

Abstract

This study assessed the influence of different voxel resolutions of two different CBCT units on the in vitro detection of periodontal defects. The study used 12 dry skulls with a maxilla and a mandible. Artificial defects (dehiscence, tunnel, fenestration) were separately created on the anterior, premolar and molar teeth using burrs. A total of 14 dehiscences, 13 fenestrations, 8 tunnels and 16 non-defect controls were used in the study. Images were obtained from two different CBCT units in six voxel sizes (voxel size: 0.080, 0.100, 0.125, 0.150, 0.160 and 0.200 mm3). Kappa coefficients were calculated to assess both intra- and interobserver agreements for each image set. Overall intraobserver kappa coefficients ranged between 0.978 and 0.973 for the 0.080-mm3 images and between 0.751 and 0.737 for the 0.160-mm3 images, suggesting notably high intraobserver agreement for detecting periodontal defects. CBCT performed significantly better at detecting fenestrations (p<0.05) than tunnel and dehiscence defects. No statistically significant difference was found between the detection of dehiscence and tunnel defects (p>0.05). A voxel size of 0.150 mm3 was identified as the cut-off point for overall detection of periodontal defects. CBCT should be considered the most reliable imaging modality for the diagnosis of periodontal defects.