Comparison of Five Cone Beam Computed Tomography Systems for the Detection of Vertical Root Fractures

Abstract

Fractures of dental structures present diagnostic difficulties for the dentist, especially when they are vertically oriented. CBCT imaging enables the clinician to view the tooth from multiple planes, which overcome the limitations of conventional and digital radiography. Several CBCT systems are currently on the market. These systems vary in their image quality and ability to reveal image detail and perform highly diagnosing tasks like detection of VRF. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of five different cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) systems in detecting vertical root fractures (VRFs). Eighty extracted posterior teeth (premolar+molar), which were divided into two groups: Group 1 (study group): forty teeth had sound roots; this group was divided into two subgroups. Group 1A: twenty fractured teeth and endodontically treated. Group 1B: twenty teeth which are fractured and not endodontically treated. Group 2 (control group): forty teeth were split into two subgroups. Group 2A: not fractured and endodontically treated. Group 2B: which were not fractured and not endodontically treated.