Abstract
Panoramic and intraoral radiographs are the basic imaging modalities used in dentistry. Often they are the only imaging techniques required for delineation of dental anatomy or pathology. Panoramic radiography produces a single image of the maxilla, mandible, teeth, temporomandibular joints and maxillary sinuses. During the exposure the x-ray source and detector rotate synchronously around the patient producing a curved surface tomography. It can be supplemented with intraoral radiographs. However, these techniques give only a two-dimensional view of complicated three-dimensional (3D) structures. As in the other fields of imaging also dentomaxillofacial imaging has moved towards 3D imaging. Since the late 1990s cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) devices have been designed specifically for dentomaxillofacial imaging, allowing accurate 3D imaging of hard tissues with a lower radiation dose, lower cost and easier availability for dentists when compared with multislice CT. Panoramic and intraoral radiographies are still the basic imaging methods in dentistry. CBCT should be used in more demanding cases. In this review the anatomy with the panoramic view will be presented as well as the benefits of the CBCT technique in comparison to the panoramic technique with some examples. Also the basics as well as common errors and pitfalls of these techniques will be discussed. Teaching Points • Panoramic and intraoral radiographs are the basic imaging methods in dentomaxillofacial radiology.• CBCT imaging allows accurate 3D imaging of hard tissues.• CBCT offers lower costs and a smaller size and radiation dose compared with MSCT.• The disadvantages of CBCT imaging are poor soft tissue contrast and artefacts.• The Sedentexct project has developed evidence-based guidelines on the use of CBCT in dentistry.
Highlights
Intraoral and panoramic radiographs are the basic imaging techniques in dentomaxillofacial radiology, allowing twodimensional (2D) imaging of oral hard tissues [1]
As the technological advances in radiological imaging have led to the introduction of new methods in many fields of radiology, this applies to dentomaxillofacial radiology
While multislice computed tomography (MSCT) imaging is a well-known 3D imaging method, cone beam CT (CBCT) is a fairly recent newcomer as these devices were introduced in dentomaxillofacial imaging in the late 1990s [2, 3]
Summary
Intraoral and panoramic radiographs are the basic imaging techniques in dentomaxillofacial radiology, allowing twodimensional (2D) imaging of oral hard tissues [1]. Often these imaging methods fulfil the requirements for dental imaging. The benefits of CBCT are the lower cost, smaller size and smaller radiation dose compared with MSCT. These devices are more available for dentomaxillofacial examinations than MSCT devices. The European Academy of Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology has prepared a position paper for basic training requirements for the use of dental CBCT by dentists [7]
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