ISSN : 0376-4672
Cone beam computed tomography(CBCT) machines recently developed in Korea, being designed for imaging hard tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. I reported a brief overview of CBCT system, in comparison with coventional computed tomography(CT) system. CBCT provides high resolution, simpler image acquisition, lower dose and cost alternative to conventional CT, promising to revolutionize the practice of oral and maxillofacial radiology.
Various imaging modalities have been used for dental implant assessment in the different stages of implant treatment. Basic imaging, such as panoramic and periapical radiographs, are generally useful and cost-effective but do not provide the crosssectional visualization or interactive image analysis that can be obtained with more sophisticated imaging techniques, such as Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) imaging. This article includes the applications of CBCT imaging and their diagnostic contribution to presurgical evaluation, treatment planning, and postoperative assessment of dental implants.
Radiographic diagnosis of periapical lesions is based on many factors, including anatomical limitations such as thickness of the cortical bone; positioning of the apical abscess to the cortical bone; and is complicated by proximity to other anatomical structures and neighboring teeth. With conventional radiographs, these structures are often superimposed. Dental CBCT with its associated geometric accuracy offers accurate visualizations of the complex relationships and boundaries between teeth, related anatomical features, and their associated pathology. Its images also provide us internal tooth morphology, periodontal ligament space, the presence or absence of periapicl lesions in association with critical anatomical structures and maxillary sinus involement. Using 3D imaging makes it easier for clinicians to detect, diagnosis, and develop highly effective treatment plans. Now, 4 cases of periapical and periodontal pathosis with CBCT images are to be presented including periapical abscess, furcation involvement, periapical pathosis involving maxillary sinus, and osteomyelitis. CBCT analyze specific area of interest and provides the highly detailed anatomical information. It also facilitates earlier and more accurate diagnosis, and treatment planning decisions and more predictable outcome.
The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of the C-shaped canal of permanent mandibular second molar (PMSM) in Korean sub-population using Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) data and analyze the types of C-shaped canal. Materials & Methods : The protocol for this study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the Pusan National University Hospital (E-2011039). Among the CBCT images taken of patients who visited the St. Bennedict Dental Hospital (Busan, Korea) from May 2008 to April 2011 for implant surgery and surgical removal of impacted teeth, high-quality CBCTs from 705 patients (361 male and 342 female) were screened and 607 PMSMs of 383 patients were evaluated retrospectively. All PMSMs were anatomically analyzed in detail by using image viewer software (EasyDent; Vatech). PMSMs were evaluated in the axial plane to investigate the shape of root and canals. The C-shaped canals were classified into five types. The total incidence,gender ratio, bilateral and unilateral appearance, and the correlation between right-side and left-side occurrences of C-shaped PMSMs were computed and compared statistically using the chi-square test. Results : Among the 607 PMSMs of 383 CBCTs of 187 females and 196 males, 198 PMSMs (32.6%) had C-shaped root and 158 PMSMs (26.0%) had C-shaped canals. The shape of C-shaped root canals at the furcation level did not have significant change at the level of mid root (P<0.0001). Female had more prevalence of C-shaped root canals than male (P<0.0001). The prevalence of bilateral occurrence of C-shaped root canals was higher than unilateral occurrence. Conclusions : The occurrence of C-shaped PMSMs among a Korean population was 32.6% and was higher than other countries and ethnicities. Understanding the prevalence of PMSMs with a C-shaped root and/or canal in a Korean population may be useful for successful endodontic treatments.
