Reliability of distance measurements in dental CBCT images

Abstract

Dental cone­beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been widely used in Japan, because lesions can easily be examined in the three­dimensional image display. An increasing number of dentists are using CBCT images in the field of implantology for preoperative surgical simulation and for con­ structing surgical guides, as has been recom­ mended in implant guidelines for the use of CT im­ ages during the pre­surgical examination. Re­ cently, more CBCTs are being sold with a wide field of view (FOV) as they make it possible to de­ crease the exposure time. However, there is a pos­ sibility that the accuracy of linear measurements is compromised in CBCT with a wide FOV because of the greater angulation of the exposure beam. The accuracy of the linear measurements in the CBCT images has been reported in various articles. A few articles have described the effect of the loca­ tion in the FOV position on dimensional accuracy. 6 No reports have examined the accuracy of horizon­ tal and vertical linear measurements on the edges of the FOV. We attempted to analyze the accuracy in this location in the CBCT images by comparing actual linear dimensions with measurements ob­ tained in the CBCT images.