A comparative evaluation of the role of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging and orthopantomography (OPG) in sinus augmentation procedures: An original study

Abstract

Background and Aim: Radiology and higher imaging modalities have their own advantages and disadvantages. The present study was designed to do a comparative analysis of the role of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and orthopantomography (OPG) for preoperative planning and postoperative evaluation of treatment outcomes in implant therapy in combination with sinus augmentation procedures. Materials and Methods: Pre- and postoperative assessment of maxillary sinuses was done in 17 patients who underwent implant therapy in combination with sinus augmentation procedures using CBCT and OPG. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS statistics 20 (Chicago, USA). Paired and unpaired t-tests were used to do a comparative analysis of the two modalities used. Results: There was a concordance between the treatment type based on pre- and postoperative CBCT assessments. The assessment of sinus morphology revealed a significantly higher detection rate of aberrations in the form of sinus mucosal hypertrophy and septa on CBCT which were imperceptible on orthopantomographs undermining the role of routine radiography in these procedures. The results obtained, also, revealed that vertical alveolar bone height could be measured more precisely with CBCT. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the above study, it could be concluded that CBCT increased the accuracy of both the sinus morphology assessment and the estimation of gain in vertical alveolar bone height, in addition to bone density, which remains unassessed by the conventional radiological techniques including OPG.