However, there are insufficient studies in the maxillofacial field to achieve effective dose reduction for paediatric patients. In a study on effective doses for paediatric dental CBCT using an anthropomorphic phantom, 6 the paediatric effective doses were higher than those for conventional dental radiographic imaging and similar to those for adult CBCT. 3 Most studies on dental CBCT dosimetry have focused on effective doses to adults and less on those to children. 4, 5 Risk in patients aged less than 10 years old is three times greater than at the age of 30 years. 3 Therefore, justification for an examination and optimization of the radiographic technique are strongly needed. In particular, paediatric patients are at a potential risk of radiation, as they are more radiosensitive than adults, have longer lifetimes and might receive a higher radiation dose than necessary if the exposure settings are not considered for their small body size. 2 Thus, the increase in patient dose during a CBCT examination is a matter of concern. Paediatric CBCT dental cases have also increased by 13.1% in 2010–2011 and by 22.8% in 2012.Īlthough exposure dose from CBCT is relatively low compared with that of conventional CT, it is up to 10 times higher than that of intraoral and extraoral radiography used in dentistry. The use of CBCT in the Severance Dental Hospital (Seoul, Republic of Korea) has increased steadily by 12.5% from 4471 cases in 2010–2011 and by 31.6% in 2012. CBCT has undergone an increasing number of evaluations over the past 10 years as it provides more information than does existing radiographic equipment. 1 Its applied fields include almost all dental specialities, including extraction of supernumerary and impacted teeth, evaluation of proximity between the third molar and the mandibular canal, and examination of cysts, tumours, sinusitis and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), as well as orthognathic surgery and implantation. CBCT takes up less space, costs less to set up, has a quicker scanning time, produces less radiation and is easier to measure exact dimensions on.
#Panorama x ray on two year old series
Cone beam CT (CBCT) presents a series of technical differences (algorithms, acquisition modes, beam formats and detectors) in comparison with those of conventional single or multislice CT, but it is actively used in the maxillofacial area owing to several advantages.