Cone beam computed tomography in craniofacial imaging

TLDR

Cone‑beam CT offers smaller, lower‑cost scanners with isotropic sub‑millimeter resolution, making it ideal for dentomaxillofacial imaging and enabling complete diagnostic and surgical workflows such as implant planning when paired with specialized software. This paper reviews cone‑beam scanning technology, compares it to conventional fan‑beam CT, and introduces the low‑cost DentoCAT™ scanner developed by Xoran Technologies. The DentoCAT™ scanner is a compact, affordable device that produces high‑resolution images and is integrated with implant‑planning software to facilitate clinical use. Image results demonstrate the scanner’s spatial resolution and low radiation dose, and early clinical use shows its utility in implant planning.

Abstract

Abstract Author – Sukovic P Cone beam computed tomography (CT) has the potential to reduce the size and cost of CT scanners. Because this emerging technology produces images with isotropic submillimeter spatial resolution, it is ideally suited for dedicated dentomaxillofacial CT scanning. When combined with application‐specific software tools, cone beam computed tomography can provide dentomaxillofacial practitioners with a complete solution for performing specific diagnostic and surgical tasks, such as dental implant planning. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of cone beam scanning technology and compare it with the fan beam scanning used in conventional CT scanners. We introduce ‘DentoCAT TM ’, a relatively small, low‐cost cone beam CT scanner dedicated for dentomaxillofacial imaging developed at Xoran Technologies. We present images generated by the DentoCAT TM scanner and provide an assessment of its performance in terms of spatial resolution and effective radiation dose. Finally, we illustrate the clinical utility of the scanner by presenting the results we have obtained to date using the DentoCAT TM scanner in conjunction with an implant planning software tool.