Use of dentomaxillofacial cone beam computed tomography in dentistry.

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) was developed and introduced specifically for dento-maxillofacial imaging. CBCT possesses a number of advantages over medical CT in clinical practice, such as lower effective radiation doses, lower costs, fewer space requirements, easier image acquisition, and interactive display modes such as mutiplanar reconstruction that are applicable to maxillofacial imaging. However, the disadvantages of CBCT include higher doses than two-dimensional imaging; the inability to accurately represent the internal structure of soft tissues and soft-tissue lesions; a limited correlation with Hounsfield Units for standardized quantification of bone density; and the presence of various types of image artifacts, mainly those produced by metal restorations. CBCT is now commonly used for a variety of purposes in oral implantology, dento-maxillofacial surgery, image-guided surgical procedures, endodontics, periodontics and orthodontics. CBCT applications provide obvious benefits in the assessment of dentomaxillofacial region, however; it should be used only in correct indications considering the necessity and the potential hazards of the examination.