Investigation of maxillary sinus volume relationships with nasal septal deviation, concha bullosa, and impacted or missing teeth using cone-beam computed tomography.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the correlations of maxillary sinus volume with nasal septal deviation, concha bullosa, impacted teeth, and missing teeth in the maxillary posterior region on maxillary sinus volume using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. METHODS: The study cohort comprised 252 CBCT images of 252 patients retrospectively selected from the records in our CBCT archive. All CBCT images were exported to 3D modeling software for calculation of maxillary sinus volumes. Nasal septal deviation cases were grouped as mild, moderate, and severe. Concha bullosa was classified as lamellar, bulbous, and extensive. Maxillary sinus volume differences were evaluated by comparing the bilateral sinus volumes in patients with nasal septal deviation, unilateral concha bullosa, and unilateral impacted or missing maxillary posterior teeth. RESULTS: The findings revealed that males had a significantly higher mean sinus volume than females (p < 0.01) and that sinus volume tended to decrease with age (p < 0.05). In moderate and severe nasal septal deviation cases, the maxillary sinus volume was significantly smaller on the same side as the deviation than on the contralateral side (p < 0.05). There were no significant correlations between maxillary sinus volume and concha bullosa, unilateral impacted teeth, or unilateral missing teeth (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that maxillary sinus volume is smaller on the same side as the deviation in moderate and severe septal deviation cases and that the maxillary sinus volume tends to decrease with increasing age.

Unilateral Absence of Mental Foramen with Surgical Exploration in a Living Human Subject.

The mental foramen (MF) is an important anatomic landmark of the mandible, in which the somatic afferent sensory nerve of the mandibular nerve emerges as mental nerve and blood vessels. The identification and actual location of MF are important in order to avoid sensory dysfunction or paresthesia due to mental nerve injury. In the literature there are some rare reports on the anatomical variations of the MF such as its location or presence of accessory foramina. The present report describes the absence of mental foramina on the left side of the mandible, as detected by cone-beam computed tomography before impacted tooth removal and observed directly during surgery.

Evaluation of pre-eruptive intracoronal resorption on cone-beam computed tomography: A retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study aimed to investigate the prevalence of pre-eruptive intracoronal resorption (PIR) in unerupted permanent teeth in a Turkish population using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). METHOD: A total of 1,317 CBCT images were screened. In all the images, the following were recorded: the number of unerupted teeth, number of teeth with intracoronal resorption, affected tooth type and number, and location of radiolucent defects. Demographic data were also obtained. RESULTS: The prevalence of intracoronal resorption in the study group was 15.1%, with a prevalence in teeth of 3.5%. The prevalence of intracoronal resorption using CBCT was much higher than that recorded previously using panoramic or bitewing radiographs intracoronal resorption was more common in males (57%) than females (43%). Twenty-three cases were located in the maxilla (48%), and 25 were located in the mandible (52%). The mandibular third molar was the most affected tooth type, followed by maxillary third molars and supernumerary teeth. CONCLUSION: CBCT can be useful for diagnosing PIR defects because it provides an accurate representation of internal dental anatomy. SCANNING 38:442-447, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A retrospective comparative study of cone-beam computed tomography versus rendered panoramic images in identifying the presence, types, and characteristics of dens invaginatus in a Turkish population.

INTRODUCTION: This study assessed the presence, characteristics, and type of dens invaginatus (DI) by using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and panoramic images rendered from CBCT images. In addition, the findings of the imaging techniques were compared. METHODS: We evaluated 300 CBCT images to determine the type of DI, the presence of an impacted tooth near the DI, and the presence of apical pathosis. The McNemar test was used to compare the prevalence of DI according to CBCT and panoramic images rendered from CBCT images. RESULTS: The presence of DI was lower on panoramic images rendered from CBCT images (3% of the patients) compared with on CBCT images (10.7% of the patients) (P < .001). According to the CBCT images, the distribution of teeth with DI was as follows: maxillary lateral incisors (75%), maxillary central incisors (6.8%), mandibular premolars (4.6%), mesiodens (9%), maxillary canines (2.3%), and mandibular canines (2.3%). Type I DI was the most commonly observed type of invaginatus (65.9%), followed by type II (29.5%) and type III (4.6%). All patients with type III DI and 25% of the patients with type II DI had apical pathosis at the time of referral, but periapical lesions were not observed in teeth with type I DI. In total, 13.6% of DI cases had impacted teeth. CONCLUSIONS: CBCT can be recommended as an effective diagnostic device for identifying DI because it provides an accurate representation of the external and internal dental anatomy.

A comparative study of different radiographic methods for detecting occlusal caries lesions.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of different radiographic imaging modalities in detecting occlusal caries lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Under standardized conditions, 125 extracted human permanent molar teeth with sound or occlusal caries lesions were radiographed using a conventional film system (F-speed), a direct digital imaging system (complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensor), an indirect digital imaging system (photostimulable phosphor plate) and a cone beam computed tomography system (CBCT). Two observers scored the resultant images for the presence or absence of caries. Then, the teeth were histologically prepared and a definite diagnosis was determined by stereomicroscopic assessment. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Az), sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of each imaging modality were calculated, as well as the intra- and interexaminer reproducibility. RESULTS: For both thresholds, interexaminer agreement were higher for CBCT. For intraexaminer agreement, observers had different scores for both thresholds, but the scores were generally higher for CBCT. Similar Az values were achieved with all imaging methods at a diagnostic D1 threshold. The Az values of the CBCT system were found to be statistically higher than those of the other imaging modalities at a diagnostic D3 threshold (p > 0.05); no significant differences were found among the other imaging modalities. All radiographic methods showed similar sensitivities, specificities and accuracy in detecting D1 threshold. The CBCT system showed higher sensitivity and accuracy in detecting dentine lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, CBCT exhibited better performance in detecting deep occlusal caries lesions than the other radiographic systems.

Endodontic treatment and esthetic management of a geminated central incisor bearing a talon cusp.

Gemination with talon cusps is an uncommon morphologic dental anomaly, characterized by the formation of clinically wide tooth that can cause significant aesthetic and clinical problems including esthetic impairment, pain, caries susceptibility, and tooth crowding. These morphological dental anomalies have specific treatment needs due to the abnormal morphology and need virtuous radiologic diagnosis. Multidisciplinary approach can supply success of the treatment plan that can provide esthetic and occlusal requirements. In this case report, the multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of geminated tooth with talon cusp is presented with the clinical and radiographic findings.

Detection of bifid mandibular condyle using computed tomography.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and characteristics of bifid mandibular condyle (BMC) using computed tomography (CT) evaluation. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study was carried out using the CT records of 550 patients referred to the Medical School of Erciyes University (Kayseri, Turkey) between 2007 and 2010. T-tests were used to compare frequency of BMC between the left and right sides and between female and male patients. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software and a chi-squared test. RESULTS: Of the 550 Patients, 10 patients (1.82%) were found to have BMCs. Five patients were female (50%) and five were male (50%). Of these 10 patients, 7 (70%) had unilateral and 3 (30%) had bilateral BMCs. As a result, a total of 13 BMCs were found in 10 patients. No statistically significant differences were found between either the right- and left-sided BMCs or between female and male patients (p >.05). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first retrospective study investigating the prevalence and characteristics of BMC using computed tomography. Although BMC is an uncommon anomaly, it may be a more frequent condition in the Turkish population. Further studies and research on the orientation of duplicated condylar heads should be carried out.