Role of CBCT in endodontic diagnosis:A case report

Abstract

The success rate of endodontic treatment is reported to be 86 - 98% (1), with the slight variations in the range depending on the pulp and periapical statuses of the tooth at the time of treatment. Although studies have reported high success rate, non-surgical endodontic therapy often fails when the necessary requirements are not accomplished (Persistenceof bacteria, inadequate filling of the canal, overextensions of root filling material, improper coronal seal, errors ininstrumentation etc.). Postoperative pain after Root canal treatment has been reported to be 1.9%-48% (2). Pain after endodontic treatment maybe due to microbial causes or iatrogenic causes (mechanical, chemical and even thermal).Diagnosis ofPostoperative pain in Endodontics is usually based on clinical and radiographical examinations, which are only heuristic methods. The amount of information obtained from intra-oral radiographs are limited due to the compression of the 3-dimensional anatomy of the area being radiographed into a 2-dimensional image, which restricts their diagnostic value. Therefore, thelimitations of 2-D conventional radiographs are overcome with the advent of 3-dimensional imaging using cone-beamCTwhich aid in correct interpretation and diagnosis.Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)analysis must be taken into consideration for cases in which the benefits of this analysis overcome the risks, contributing additional information compared to conventional radiography examination.This case report highlights the effective role of CBCT in detecting root fractures which were not identified with IOPA. Keywords:Post endodontic pain, Conventional radiographs, Cone beam computed tomography, root fractures