COMPARING CONE-BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY WITH PANORAMIC RADIOGRAPHY FOR THE EVALUATION OF BONE QUALITY

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this work was to examine, using image analysis, the fractal dimension (FD), bone area fraction (BAF), and gray scale value (GSV) on cross-sectional cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and digital panoramic radiography (DPR).

Methods: DPR and CBCT scans of 30 edentulous human hemimandibules were performed. To determine the FD and BAF, 90 areas of interest (ROIs) on DPR and CBCT images were assessed. Additionally, the GSV of the ROI on CBCT was computed.

Results: Both the FD values of the ROIs between DPR and CBCT (p = 0.002) and the BAF values of the ROIs between DPR and CBCT (p = 0.017) showed statistically significant differences. The FD and BAF values of the ROIs on DPR and CBCT showed a statistically significant high connection when compared using the Spearman's correlation test (p 0.01). The FD values of ROIs on DPR, the BAF values of ROIs on DPR, the FD values of ROIs on CBCT, and the BAF values of ROIs on CBCT did not significantly correlate with the GSVs of ROIs on CBCT (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: The FD and BAF were not supported by the GSV. Additionally, the image quality for evaluating the FD, BAF, and GSV on DPR and CBCT was not comparable. The generalized dosage of CBCT is larger than that of panoramic radiography, and its picture quality is worse, so it should not be used for assessing the trabecular structure. These findings could be used as a guide for healthcare professionals who examine the trabecular architecture of alveolar bones using dental CBCT.