Imaging Sci Dent.  2011 Jun;41(2):43-51. 10.5624/isd.2011.41.2.43.

Current status of dental caries diagnosis using cone beam computed tomography

• Park YS
• Ahn JS
• Kwon HB
• Lee SP

• KMID: 1449934
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5624/isd.2011.41.2.43

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this article is to review the current status of dental caries diagnosis using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
An online PubMed search was performed to identify studies on caries research using CBCT.
RESULTS
Despite its usefulness, there were inherent limitations in the detection of caries lesions through conventional radiograph mainly due to the two-dimensional (2D) representation of caries lesions. Several efforts were made to investigate the three-dimensional (3D) image of lesion, only to gain little popularity. Recently, CBCT was introduced and has been used for diagnosis of caries in several reports. Some of them maintained the superiority of CBCT systems, however it is still under controversies.
CONCLUSION
The CBCT systems are promising, however they should not be considered as a primary choice of caries diagnosis in everyday practice yet. Further studies under more standardized condition should be performed in the near future.

Keyword

Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; Dental Caries; Diagnosis

MeSH Terms

Cone-Beam Computed Tomography
Dental Caries

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