Rise of the machines

In recent years there has been a rise in the use of three-dimensional cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), and no wonder. The technology has changed the face of dentistry, offering practically unlimited views of the dentition and surrounding areas for the diagnosis and treatment of oral disease.

The CBCT images separate out individual formations for a complete 3D visualisation of the internal anatomy, allowing the identification and orientation of different tissue types as well as structures such as the sinus or even previous implants. Clinicians can gather an extraordinary amount of information about the patient without having to resort to invasive exploratory surgery.

The technology supports an array of applications including orthodontic work, implantology, fracture and periapical assessment, and maxillofacial surgeries, greatly reducing the risk of inaccurate diagnoses and improving treatment planning capabilities.

Conventional CT scanning produces a single slice image per scan, and so requires several overlapping images, which means more radiation exposure for the patient. In contrast, CBCT creates a complete volume image in a single 360-degree rotation. This technology dramatically reduces exposure time and, in turn, the risk of re-takes due to patient movement. As such, image distortion common to cephalometric scan technologies is minimised or eliminated completely.