Variations in the Root Form and Root Canal Morphology of Permanent Mandibular canine.

BACKGROUND: Mandibular canines are recognized as usually having one root and one root canal in most cases. However, many investigators have reported the anatomical variations associated with mandibular canines. Thus; the objective of this study is to determine the number of roots and morphology of the root canal system of permanent mandibular canine in a Nepalese population. METHODS: Cone Beam Computerized Tomography images of 390 patients in a Nepalese population were selected, and a total of 780 mandibular canines were analyzed. The number of root and the canal configurations were investigated. Data were analyzed with descriptive analysis and Chi-square tests using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: Out of the 780 mandibular canines, 741(95%) were single-rooted canines while only 39 (5%) were double-rooted canines. The most common type of Vertucci in single-rooted canines was Type I (1-1) in the percentage of 85.6% and the least type was Type IV (1-2) in the percentage of (2.5%). The Chi-square tests showed no significant association between gender and number of roots (P = 0.87) and gender and root canal configuration in single-rooted canine (P = 0.52). CONCLUSIONS: All mandibular permanent canines were single rooted but 5.2% of the permanent mandibular canines had two roots.

Fully automatic integration of dental CBCT images and full-arch intraoral impressions with stitching error correction via individual tooth segmentation and identification.

We present a fully automated method of integrating intraoral scan (IOS) and dental cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) images into one image by complementing each image's weaknesses. Dental CBCT alone may not be able to delineate precise details of the tooth surface due to limited image resolution and various CBCT artifacts, including metal-induced artifacts. IOS is very accurate for the scanning of narrow areas, but it produces cumulative stitching errors during full-arch scanning. The proposed method is intended not only to compensate the low-quality of CBCT-derived tooth surfaces with IOS, but also to correct the cumulative stitching errors of IOS across the entire dental arch. Moreover, the integration provides both gingival structure of IOS and tooth roots of CBCT in one image. The proposed fully automated method consists of four parts; (i) individual tooth segmentation and identification module for IOS data (TSIM-IOS); (ii) individual tooth segmentation and identification module for CBCT data (TSIM-CBCT); (iii) global-to-local tooth registration between IOS and CBCT; and (iv) stitching error correction for full-arch IOS. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieved landmark and surface distance errors of 112.4µm and 301.7µm, respectively.

Comparison of different 3D printers in terms of dimensional stability by image data of a dry human mandible obtained from CBCT and CT.

OBJECTIVES: To manage the mandibular traumas, for the expression of the complex anatomy or pathology in education of health sciences related branches, a model of the traumatized mandible is indispensable. For these, different 3D-print-technologies can be used. The aim of this study is, to measure how close these 3D-printed-models are to human-mandible (trueness) and the effectiveness of CT and CBCT at this point. STUDY DESIGN: One-dry-human-mandible and 10-models manufactured by five different 3D-printers in four different-kinds of additive-manufacturing technology (Fused-Deposition-Modeling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA), Binder-jetting (BJ), Polyjet (PJ)) were used, five-anatomic-landmarks and eight-distances were measured and evaluated. Mandible's data were constructed based on DICOM-3.0 data from CBCT and CT scans. Images were opened in MIMICS (software-program). RESULTS: Study compared the devices that produced models with the same dry human-mandible. It was seen that the model with the highest margin of error (132.5 mm) was manufactured by Fused-deposition-modeling device using CT-data. In terms of distance to real-data, the model with the lowest error was generated by Binder-Jetting (ZCorp) with CBCT-data. Models produced with CBCT-data are closer to dry-human-mandible than models with CT-data. CONCLUSION: The current study shows that CBCT generates significantly better data than CT in producing mandibular models. The first choice for manufacturing of human mandible is BJ and the second choice is the technology of SLA.

Uncovering the Hidden: A Study on Incidental Findings on CBCT Scans Leading to External Referrals.

OBJECTIVES: This project aims to determine the prevalence of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) findings requiring referral. Additionally, the goal is to establish a reference standard protocol for incidental findings, outlining indications for further investigation and management protocol. METHODS: Patients records from the Advanced Imaging Centre at the School of Dentistry, University of Alberta, underwent systematic examination to identify CBCT incidental findings. Radiographic findings requiring referral were categorised into 8 anatomic zones. Analysis assessed prevalence and a management protocol was developed for significant findings. Inferential analyses were conducted to determine the frequency and prevalence of specific findings requiring further investigation. RESULTS: A total of 1260 CBCT interpretive reports were analysed. The most prevalent radiographic findings outside the areas of interest were found in the cervical vertebrae (18%), followed by the sinuses (15%), temporomandibular joints (8%), jaw lesions (7%), airway (5%), teeth (5%), soft tissue calcifications (5%), and other (1%). CONCLUSIONS: Findings most commonly requiring external referral included carotid atheroma (2.7%), cervical vertebrae osteoarthritis (0.97%), jaw lesions (0.86%), adenoid and/or tonsillar hypertrophy (0.86%), and paranasal sinus pathology (0.73%). Increased medicolegal awareness and practitioner knowledge contribute to the rising number of CBCT-identified radiographic findings outside the area of concern. The study addresses the debate on reporting all CBCT/radiographic findings by exploring their prevalence and providing protocols. These guidelines assist dentists in identification, decision-making, and referral processes.

[Oral panorama reconstruction method based on pre-segmentation and Bezier function].

For patients with partial jaw defects, cysts and dental implants, doctors need to take panoramic X-ray films or manually draw dental arch lines to generate Panorama images in order to observe their complete dentition information during oral diagnosis. In order to solve the problems of additional burden for patients to take panoramic X-ray films and time-consuming issue for doctors to manually segment dental arch lines, this paper proposes an automatic panorama reconstruction method based on cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT). The V-network (VNet) is used to pre-segment the teeth and the background to generate the corresponding binary image, and then the Bezier curve is used to define the best dental arch curve to generate the oral panorama. In addition, this research also addressed the issues of mistakenly recognizing the teeth and jaws as dental arches, incomplete coverage of the dental arch area by the generated dental arch lines, and low robustness, providing intelligent methods for dental diagnosis and improve the work efficiency of doctors.

Accurate mandibular canal segmentation of dental CBCT using a two-stage 3D-UNet based segmentation framework.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to develop a deep learning (DL) model for fast and accurate mandibular canal (MC) segmentation on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). METHODS: A total of 220 CBCT scans from dentate subjects needing oral surgery were used in this study. The segmentation ground truth is annotated and reviewed by two senior dentists. All patients were randomly splitted into a training dataset (n = 132), a validation dataset (n = 44) and a test dataset (n = 44). We proposed a two-stage 3D-UNet based segmentation framework for automated MC segmentation on CBCT. The Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) and 95% Hausdorff Distance (95% HD) were used as the evaluation metrics for the segmentation model. RESULTS: The two-stage 3D-UNet model successfully segmented the MC on CBCT images. In the test dataset, the mean DSC was 0.875 ± 0.045 and the mean 95% HD was 0.442 ± 0.379. CONCLUSIONS: This automatic DL method might aid in the detection of MC and assist dental practitioners to set up treatment plans for oral surgery evolved MC.

A support vector machine-based algorithm to identify bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis throughout the mandibular bone by using cone beam computerized tomography images.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop an algorithm to distinguish the patients with bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) from healthy controls using CBCT images by evaluating both trabecular and cortical bone changes through the whole body of the mandibular bone. METHODS: Patient data set was created from axial CBCT images of 7 BRONJ patients (28 slices) and 8 healthy controls (27 slices). The healthy bone of healthy controls, bone sclerosis of BRONJ patients, bone necrosis of BRONJ patients, and normal appearing bone of BRONJ patients (NBP) were labeled on CBCT images by three maxillofacial radiologists. Proposed algorithm had preparation and background cancellation, mandibular bone segmentation and centerline determination, spatial transformation of gray values, and classification steps. RESULTS: Significant differences between the statistical moments (mean, variance, skewness, kurtosis, standard error, median, mode and coefficient of variance) of healthy and diseased (bone sclerosis and necrosis) groups were observed (p = 0.000, p < 0.05). Also, variations were noted between healthy controls and NBP of BRONJ patients (p = 0.000, p < 0.05).The statistical moments were utilized to develop the algorithm which has resulted with accuracy of 0.999, sensitivity of 0.998, specificity of 0.998, precision of 1, recall of 0.998, AUC of 1, and F1 score of 0.999 in identification of BRONJ patients from healthy ones. CONCLUSION: The proposed algorithm differentiated the mandibular bones of the healthy and the BRONJ patients with high accuracy in the present test sample.

Tomographic, microbiological and histological characterization of secondary apical periodontitis: case series

Abstract This case series included a tomographic, microbiological, and histopathological description of 15 secondary apical periodontitis (SAP) lesions obtained by apical microsurgery performed in 10 patients to better understand the etiology and pathogenesis of SAP. Preoperative tomographic analyses were performed through Cone beam computerized tomography - Periapical index (CBCT-PAI), and apical microsurgeries were then carried out. The removed apices were used for microbial culturing and for molecular identification using PCR for the detection of 5 strict anaerobic bacteria (P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, P. nigrescens, T. forsythia, and T.denticola) and 3 viruses Herpes simplex viruses (HSV), Cytomegalovirus (CMG) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) by nested PCR. The removed apical lesions were histologically described. Univariate statistical analyses were performed by using STATA MP/16 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX, United States). CBCT-PAI analyses revealed PAI 4 and PAI 5 score lesions that involved cortical plate destruction. Eight SAPs were positive by culture, while nine SAP lesions were positive by PCR. Fusobacterium species were the most frequently cultured organisms in 7 SAP lesions, followed by D. pneumosintes in 3. In contrast, by single PCR, T. forsythia and P. nigrescens were detected in 5 lesions, T. denticola in 4 lesions, and P. gingivalis in 2 lesions. Twelve periapical lesions were granulomas, and the remaining three SAP lesions were radicular cysts. In conclusion, this case series study revealed that secondary apical lesions presented tomographic involvement of PAI 3 to 5, and that most SAP lesions were apical granulomas containing anaerobic and facultative microorganisms.

Resumo Esta série de casos incluiu uma descrição tomográfica, microbiológica e histopatológica de 15 lesões de periodontite apical secundária (SAP) obtidas por microcirurgia apical realizada em 10 pacientes para melhor compreender a etiologia e patogénese do SAP. As análises tomográficas pré-operatórias foram realizadas através de tomografia computadorizada de feixe cônico - índice Periapical (CBCT-PAI), e as microcirurgias apicais foram então realizadas. Os ápices removidos foram utilizados para a cultura microbiana e também para a identificação molecular por PCR para a detecção de 5 bactérias anaeróbias rigorosas (P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, P. nigrescens, T. forsythia, e T.denticola) e 3 vírus Herpes simplex (HSV), Cytomegalovirus (CMG) e Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) por PCR aninhada. As lesões apicais removidas foram descritas histologicamente. Foram realizadas análises estatísticas univariadas utilizando STATA MP/16 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX, Estados Unidos da América). As análises CBCT-PAI revelaram lesões PAI 4 e PAI 5 que envolveram a destruição da placa cortical. Oito SAPs foram positivos por cultura, enquanto nove lesões de SAP foram positivas por PCR. As espécies de Fusobacterium foram os organismos mais frequentemente cultivados em 7 lesões SAP, seguidas por D. pneumosintes em 3. Em contraste, por PCR simples, T. forsythia e P. nigrescens foram detectados em 5 lesões, T. denticola em 4 lesões, e P. gingivalis em 2 lesões. Doze lesões periapicais foram granulomas, e as restantes três lesões SAP foram cistos. Em conclusão, este estudo de série de casos revelou que as lesões apicais secundárias apresentavam envolvimento tomográfico de PAI 3 a 5, e que a maioria das lesões de SAP eram granulomas apicais contendo microrganismos anaeróbios e facultativos.

Patterns of utilization and clinical adoption of 0.35 Tesla MR-guided radiation therapy in the United States - Understanding the transition to adaptive, ultra-hypofractionated treatments.

Purpose/Objective: Magnetic resonance-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) utilization is rapidly expanding worldwide, driven by advanced capabilities including continuous intrafraction visualization, automatic triggered beam delivery, and on-table adaptive replanning (oART). Our objective was to describe patterns of 0.35Tesla(T)-MRgRT (MRIdian) utilization in the United States (US) among early adopters of this novel technology. Materials/Methods: Anonymized administrative data from all US MRIdian treatment systems were extracted for patients completing treatment from 2014 to 2020. Detailed treatment information was available for all MRIdian linear accelerator (linac) systems and some cobalt systems. Results: Seventeen systems at 16 centers delivered 5736 courses and 36,389 fractions (fraction details unavailable for 1223 cobalt courses), of which 21.1% were adapted. Ultra-hypofractionation (UHfx) (1-5 fractions) was used in 70.3% of all courses. At least one adaptive fraction was used for 38.5% of courses (average 1.7 adapted fractions/course), with higher oART use in UHfx dose schedules (47.7% of courses, average 1.9 adapted fractions per course). The most commonly treated organ sites were pancreas (20.7%), liver (16.5%), prostate (12.5%), breast (11.5%), and lung (9.4%). Temporal trends show a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 59.6% in treatment courses delivered, with a dramatic increase in use of UHfx to 84.9% of courses in 2020 and similar increase in use of oART to 51.0% of courses. Conclusions: This is the first comprehensive study reporting patterns of utilization among early adopters of MRIdian in the US. Intrafraction MR image-guidance, advanced motion management, and increasing adoption of adaptive radiation therapy has led to a substantial transition to ultra-hypofractionated regimens. 0.35 T-MRgRT has been predominantly used to treat abdominal and pelvic tumors with increasing use of on-table adaptive replanning, which represents a paradigm shift in radiation therapy.

Evaluation of alveolar antral anastomosis in south Indian population using cone beam computed tomography: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: The posterior superior alveolar artery (PSAA) and the infraorbital artery (IOA), both of which are ultimate branches of the maxillary artery, are connected by a horizontal anastomosis. PSAA anastomoses intraosseously and extraosseously with IOA. Profuse bleeding from the lateral wall while performing the direct sinus augmentation is a significant intraoperative complication.Thus the present study focused to assess the location of an alveolar antral anastomosis (AAA) in relation to the crest of the alveolar bone using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). METHODS: A total of 200 CBCT scans of patients who were indicated for implant surgery were chosen and assessed. Group 1 includes 100 dentate patients and Group 2 includes 100 partially edentulous patients. The location of anastomosis along the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus was evaluated in association with alveolar bone height with respect to three posterior maxillary teeth: first premolar, second premolar, and first molar. RESULTS: The mean distance for P1, P2, and M1 was 21.94 ± 1.02 mm, 19.41 ± 0.40 mm, and 17.36 ± 0.51 mm, respectively, in the dentate group, whereas in the edentulous group, it was 20.07 ± 0.46 mm, 18.95 ± 0.32 mm, and 16.08 ± 0.16 mm. In 80% of participants, the distance of an AAA from the alveolar crest was between 16 and 23 mm, whereas in 12% of the participants the distance of an AAA from the alveolar crest was less than 16 mm. CONCLUSION: The present study concludes that the first premolar region is safe for preparing the lateral window but for the second premolar and first molar additional care should be taken prior to surgery.

A Novel Method for Evaluating Early Tumor Response Based on Daily CBCT Images for Lung SBRT.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to develop a new tumor response assessment method for lung SBRT. METHODS: In total, 132 lung cancer patients with 134 tumors who received SBRT treatment with daily CBCT were included in this study. The information about tumor size (area), contrast (contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)), and density/attenuation (µ) was derived from the CBCT images for the first and the last fractions. The ratios of tumor area, CNR, and µ (RA, RCNR, Rµ) between the last and first fractions were calculated for comparison. The product of the three rations was defined as a new parameter (R) for assessment. Tumor response was independently assessed by a radiologist based on a comprehensive analysis of the CBCT images. RESULTS: R ranged from 0.27 to 1.67 with a mean value of 0.95. Based on the radiologic assessment results, a receiver operation characteristic (ROC) curve with the area under the curve (AUC) of 95% was obtained and the optimal cutoff value (RC) was determined as 1.1. The results based on RC achieved a 94% accuracy, 94% specificity, and 90% sensitivity. CONCLUSION: The results show that R was correlated with early tumor response to lung SBRT and that using R for evaluating tumor response to SBRT would be viable and efficient.

Oral panorama reconstruction method based on pre-segmentation and Bezier function / 生物医学工程学杂志

For patients with partial jaw defects, cysts and dental implants, doctors need to take panoramic X-ray films or manually draw dental arch lines to generate Panorama images in order to observe their complete dentition information during oral diagnosis. In order to solve the problems of additional burden for patients to take panoramic X-ray films and time-consuming issue for doctors to manually segment dental arch lines, this paper proposes an automatic panorama reconstruction method based on cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT). The V-network (VNet) is used to pre-segment the teeth and the background to generate the corresponding binary image, and then the Bezier curve is used to define the best dental arch curve to generate the oral panorama. In addition, this research also addressed the issues of mistakenly recognizing the teeth and jaws as dental arches, incomplete coverage of the dental arch area by the generated dental arch lines, and low robustness, providing intelligent methods for dental diagnosis and improve the work efficiency of doctors.

Reabsorción dentinaria interna coronaria: informe de un caso clínico / Coronary internal dentine resorption: report of a clinical case

Objetivo: La reabsorción dentinaria interna es un pro- ceso causado por la actividad odontoclástica asociada princi- palmente a la inflamación pulpar crónica y/o traumatismos, y se caracteriza por la pérdida progresiva de tejido dentinario y la posible invasión al cemento. El presente informe describe el diagnóstico y tratamiento de un molar inferior que presentó un cuadro sintomático de reabsorción dentinaria interna. Caso clínico: Un paciente de 38 años fue derivado a la consulta por presentar una zona de reabsorción interna en un segundo molar inferior. Durante el examen clínico y ra- diográfico se tomó una radiografía preoperatoria periapical con radiovisiógrafo en la que se observó la presencia de un área compatible con el diagnóstico de reabsorción dentinaria interna, el que fue posteriormente confirmado por medio de una tomografía computada de haz cónico. La imagen de la lesión se presentó como una zona radiolúcida deformante de bordes nítidos, localizada a nivel de la cámara pulpar. El tra- tamiento consistió en la extirpación de la pulpa coronaria y de la instrumentación, desinfección y obturación de los conduc- tos radiculares y la cavidad de acceso. En el control clínico y radiográfico realizado luego de 3 años se observó que el paciente estaba asintomático y las estructuras perirradiculares se encontraban dentro de los límites normales. La observación histológica del material removido de la cámara pulpar reveló la presencia de un tejido granulomatoso con numerosos vasos sanguíneos y escasos focos micro hemorrágicos. Hasta el momento, el tratamiento endodóntico es el pro- cedimiento indicado para el tratamiento de la reabsorción dentinaria interna. Se destaca la importancia de la tomografía computada de haz cónico para el diagnóstico y tratamiento temprano de las reabsorciones dentinarias internas a efectos de contar con un pronóstico favorable (AU)

Aim: Internal dentine resorption is aprocess caused by odontoclastic activity, mainly associated with chronic pulpal inflammation and/or trauma, and it'scharacterized by a pro- gressive loss of dentine tissue and the possible invasion of the cementum. This report describes the diagnosis and treatment of a lower molar that presented a symptomatic case of inter- nal dentine resorption. Clinical case: A 38-years old patient was referred to the office because of presenting an area of internal resorption in a lower second molar. During clinical and radiographic exam- ination, a periapical preoperative radiograph with radiovisio- graph was taken, in which the presence of an area compatible with the diagnosis of internal dentine resorption was observed, which was later confirmed by a cone-beam computed tomog- raphy.The image of the lesion was presented as a deforming radiolucent area with sharp edges, located at pulp chamber level. Treatment consisted of the removal of the coronary pulp and the instrumentation, disinfection and filling of the root ca- nals and the access cavity. In the clinical and radiographic control carried out 3 years after procedure, it was observed that the patient was asymptomatic and the periradicular struc- tures were within normal limits. The histological observation of the removed material from the pulp chamber revealed the presence of a granulomatous tissue with numerous blood ves- sels and scarce micro hemorrhagic focus. Until now, the endodontic treatment is the indicated pro- cedure to treat internal dentine resorption. It is necessary to highlight the importance of the cone-beam computerized to- mography for the early diagnosis and treatment of internal dentine resorptions in order to have a favorable outlook (AU)

Optimized workflow to minimise intra-fractional motion during stereotactic body radiotherapy of spinal metastases.

Background and purpose: This study evaluated translational and rotational intra-fractional patient movement during spinal stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) using 6D positioning based on 3D cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) and stereoscopic kilovoltage imaging (ExacTrac). The aim was to determine whether additional intra-fractional image verification reduced intra-fractional motion without significantly prolonging treatment time, whilst maintaining acceptable imaging related dose. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of 38 patients with 41 primary tumour volumes treated with SBRT between September 2018 and May 2021 was performed. Three different image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) workflows were assessed. The translational and rotational positioning errors for the different imaging workflows, 3D translational vectors and estimates of imaging dose delivered for the different imaging workflows were evaluated. Results: As the frequency of intra-fractional imaging increased from workflow 1 to 3, the mean intra-fraction 3D translational vector improved from 0.91 mm (±0.52 mm), to 0.64 (±0.34 mm). 85 %, 83 % and 97 % of images were within a tolerance of 1 mm/1° for workflows 1, 2 and 3 respectively, based on post treatment CBCT images. The average treatment time for workflow 3 was 13 min, as compared to 12 min for workflows 1 and 2. The effective dose per treatment for IGRT workflows 1, 2 and 3 measured 0.6 mSv, 0.95 mSv and 1.8 mSv respectively. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the use of additional intra-fractional stereoscopic kilovoltage image-guidance during spinal SBRT, reduced the number of measurements deemed "out of tolerance" and treatment delivery could be optimized within a standard treatment timeslot without applying substantial additional radiation dose.

Radiographic bone volume alteration after jaw cyst enucleation with or without simultaneous bone grafts: A prospective randomized study.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to evaluate bone healing after jaw cyst enucleation with or without bone substitutes by cone beam computed tomography, and to analyze potential influence factors for bone formation as well. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty seven jaw cyst patients were randomly assigned to two groups. Thirty three patients in control group accepted cystectomy without any filling material. The rest 34 bone cavities which filled with xenograft (DBBM, Bio-Oss®) and covered by absorbable membrane (Bio-Gide®) were included in the guided bone regeneration (GBR) group. All patients were examined with cone bean computerized tomography before operation, 3 and 6 months after surgery. Linear regression analysis was applied to evaluate the influence factors of bone healing. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in bone formation rate at 3 months after enucleation, with shrinkage rate (SR) of cystic lesion in control group and GBR group of 26.43 ± 14.98% and 20.78 ± 10.80%, respectively (p > 0.05). Larger shrinkage area in GBR group was detected on postoperative radiographs after 6 months with SR of 60.11 ± 19.23%, when compared to those in patients without filling (6 months SR: 48.63 ± 19.39%, p = 0.018, <0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that cyst size was negatively correlated with bone formation. CONCLUSION: GBR with bovine xenograft and absorbable membrane showed considerable bone regeneration property in the healing of jaw cystic defects after enucleation of radicular cysts. Cyst size showed a suppressive influence on bone formation.

Orthodontic retreatment of an adult woman with mandibular backward positioning and temporomandibular joint disorder: A case report.

BACKGROUND: The role of occlusal factors on the occurrence of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) is still unclear and it is tricky for orthodontists to treat malocclusions in patients with TMDs. We report the case of the second orthodontic treatment of an adult female with Class II division 2 malocclusion associated with TMD. With the removal of anterior occlusal interference, TMD symptoms were alleviated and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images showed the bilateral condyles shifted forward. CASE SUMMARY: This case report presented an orthodontic retreatment of an adult female with TMD and mandibular backward positioning based on CBCT examination and Joint Space Index (JSI) analysis. The left and right JSI values of -38.5 and -52.6 indicated that the position of bilateral condyles had posterior displacement. Ten years prior to this evaluation, she underwent orthodontic treatment resulting in the extraction of two upper premolars and one lower central incisor. The joint symptoms, including pain and sounds, were alleviated along with verified mandibular forward repositioning by extraction of another lower central incisor. CONCLUSION: Mandibular backward positioning could be associated with TMD. JSI analysis based on CBCT is a convenient way to examine condylar positions quantitatively.

Evaluation the relationship between the position and impaction level of the impacted maxillary third molar teeth and marginal bone loss, caries and resorption findings of the second molar teeth with CBCT scans.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between the position and impaction level of the impacted maxillary third molar teeth and marginal bone loss, caries and resorption findings on the distal surface of the second molar teeth with cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) scans. METHODS: All CBCT images of 189 impacted maxillary teeth belonging to 121 patients were examined by an observer. After determining the position and impaction level of the impacted maxillary third molar teeth, presence of caries, resorption and marginal bone loss in the distal of the second molar tooth were evaluated. IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 (IBM Corp. Released 2013. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) was used for statistical analyses and calculations. Data were analysed using the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was found in terms of the impaction level of the impacted maxillary third molar tooth and the presence of caries in the distal surface of the second molar tooth, in terms of the impaction level of the impacted third molar tooth and the presence of marginal bone loss in the distal surface of the second molar tooth. A similar difference was found in terms of the impaction level of the impacted third molar tooth and the presence of root resorption in the distal surface of the second molar tooth. CONCLUSION: These data on the natural history of impacted maxillary third molars may contribute to both more accurate estimates of the risk of complications associated with these teeth and determination of the prophylactic approach to asymptomatic impacted third molars.

Development and validation of a novel artificial intelligence driven tool for accurate mandibular canal segmentation on CBCT.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is the development and validation of a novel artificial intelligence driven tool for fast and accurate mandibular canal segmentation on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). METHODS: A total of 235 CBCT scans from dentate subjects needing oral surgery were used in this study, allowing for development, training and validation of a deep learning algorithm for automated mandibular canal (MC) segmentation on CBCT. Shape, diameter and direction of the MC were adjusted on all CBCT slices using a voxel-wise approach. Validation was then performed on a random set of 30 CBCTs - previously unseen by the algorithm - where voxel-level annotations allowed for assessment of all MC segmentations. RESULTS: Primary results show successful implementation of the AI algorithm for segmentation of the MC with a mean IoU of 0.636 (± 0.081), a median IoU of 0.639 (± 0.081), a mean Dice Similarity Coefficient of 0.774 (± 0.062). Precision, recall and accuracy had mean values of 0.782 (± 0.121), 0.792 (± 0.108) and 0.99 (± 7.64×10-05) respectively. The total time for automated AI segmentation was 21.26 s (±2.79), which is 107 times faster than accurate manual segmentation. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a novel, fast and accurate AI-driven module for MC segmentation on CBCT. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Given the importance of adequate pre-operative mandibular canal assessment, Artificial Intelligence could help relieve practitioners from the delicate and time-consuming task of manually tracing and segmenting this structure, helping prevent per- and post-operative neurovascular complications.

Prevalence of Favorable Anatomy for Palatal Emergence of an Immediate Implant in the Maxillary Central Incisor Post-Extraction Site.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of favorable anatomy for palatal emergence of an immediate flapless implant in the maxillary central incisor post-extraction site. Implants were virtually placed into maxillary central incisor sites using 3-dimensional implant planning software. Following a strict implant placement criterion to keep a safe distance to the buccal plate and other anatomical structures, sockets were assessed to determine their suitability for an implant emerging from the palatal aspect. From 321 patients included in this study, 62.3% presented a suitable socket anatomy for an immediate implant to be placed with an angulation suitable for a screw-retained crown. In 29% of the cases, the implants had to be labially tilted to maintain a minimum distance to the buccal plate; 8.7% were unsuitable for immediate implants due to anatomic limitations. The position and angulation for an immediate implant in the maxillary central incisor socket should be carefully assessed preoperatively with 3-dimensional images, as many sites will not be candidates for a palatal emergence and thus a screw-retained restoration.

New Method for Analysis of the Temporomandibular Joint Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography.

Modern dentistry commonly uses a variety of imaging methods to support diagnosis and treatment. Among them, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is particularly useful in presenting head structures, such as the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The determination of the morphology of the joint is an important part of the diagnosis as well as the monitoring of the treatment results. It can be accomplished by measurement of the TMJ gap width at three selected places, taken at a specific cross-section. This study presents a new approach to these measurements. First, the CBCT images are denoised using curvilinear methods, and the volume of interest is determined. Then, the orientation of the vertical cross-section plane is computed based on segmented axial sections of the TMJ head. Finally, the cross-section plane is used to determine the standardized locations, at which the width of the gap between condyle and fossa is measured. The elaborated method was tested on selected TMJ CBCT scans with satisfactory results. The proposed solution lays the basis for the development of an autonomous method of TMJ index identification.