Is it possible to estimate volume of bone defects formed on dry sheep mandibles more practically by secondarily reconstructing section thickness of cone beam computed tomography images?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of section thickness on volume estimations of bone defects scanned using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). 25 bone defects were prepared on sheep mandibles and scanned using a KaVo 3D eXam (KaVo Dental, Biberach, Germany) CBCT device. Section thickness of images were reconstructed at 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 mm to estimate the volume of these defects using the semiautomatic segmentation method. The volume averages obtained using microcomputed tomography and Archimedes' method served as reference values. The estimated volumes at each section thickness were compared with the actual volumes using the Friedman test. The accuracy of volume estimation was determined by the percentage error with respect to the reference values, and the mean absolute error (MAE) was calculated. Volumetric values of bone defects obtained with CBCT at section thicknesses up to 0.5 mm were compatible with the actual volumes (p > 0.05). The percentage errors at section thicknesses of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 mm were -5.4%, -7.3%, and -13.1%, respectively. The mean absolute errors were 13.6 mm3, 15.7 mm3, and 18.2 mm3, respectively. The section thickness values of CBCT images can be increased to a reasonable level to obtain accurate volume estimation results and save time. The semiautomatic segmentation method can be used reliably for volume estimations of bone defects.