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

Authors

  • Anindita Saha Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Burdwan Dental College & Hospital, Burdwan, West Bengal
  • Asish Kumar Das Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Burdwan Dental College & Hospital, Burdwan, West Bengal
  • Sailendranath Biswas Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Burdwan Dental College & Hospital, Burdwan, West Bengal
  • Vineet Nair Department of Periodontia, Burdwan Dental College & Hospital, Burdwan, West Bengal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20160048

Keywords:

Computed tomography, Dentascan, Intraosseous jaw lesions, Orthopantomogram, Radiology

Abstract

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.

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Published

2016-12-24

How to Cite

Saha, A., Das, A. K., Biswas, S., & Nair, V. (2016). Comparative evaluation of dental computed tomographic software program in the analysis of jaw lesions in comparison with panoramic radiographs. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 4(1), 303–313. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20160048

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Original Research Articles