Have conventional dental radiographs lost its charm to modern techniques?

Abstract

For any dental implant procedure that is being carried out, the success will depend on a thorough pre-operative investigation. The quality, quantity and the volume of available bone at the planned implant site has to be assessed properly when planning a dental implant placement. When we speak of the fore-mentioned aspects pre-surgical imaging and its co-relation to clinical findings help assess the relation to the amount of bone available from underlying vital parts namely the sinus cavities, nasal floor, nerves, teeth and vessels. Different radiographic modalities have been advocated for its assessment. Intra Oral Peri-apical radiograph (two-dimensional) is one such modality that has lost its importance after the introduction of more advanced techniques like Cone Beam Tomography (three-dimensional). This article will help us understand how two-dimensional and three-dimensional imaging modalities go hand in hand while treating dental patients. It will also explain why the conventional imaging technologies are still required in this era of modern methods of imaging.