Publication:

Comparative evaluation of dental computed tomographic software program in the analysis of jaw lesions in comparison with panoramic radiographs

Background Dental radiology has long played an exciting and critical diagnostic role in dentistry. The development of novel imaging modalities like computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revolutionized dental and medical diagnosis. However the role of conventional radiography in dentistry remains unparalleled. The current study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of dental CT software compared to panoramic radiography in evaluation of the jaw lesions.

Methods Twenty cases of maxillary and mandibular jaw lesions were examined radiographically by digital panoramic radiography orthopantomography (OPG) and dental CT software. The radiographic images obtained with these two examination modalities were compared for visualization of antero-posterior extent of the lesion, dimension of the lesion, cortical bone involvement, tooth displacement, root resorption, involvement of the maxillary sinus, delineation of the neurovascular canal, presence or absence of calcification, imaging diagnosis of the lesion (cystic/solid).

Results The dental CT program rated significantly (P<0.001) higher in all points examined than the panoramic radiography. The dental CT program was found to be superior for detecting cortical bone involvement (P<0.02) and delineation of the mandibular canal (P<0.02) to the conventional CT program.

Conclusions Dentascan offers better characterization of the pathologic processes due to its ability to differentiate between different tissue types based on their Hounsfield units. Hence it can define the contents of the pathology as cystic or solid and thus predict the diagnosis of the lesion.