A novel method of objectively detecting tooth ankylosis using cone-beam computed tomography: A laboratory study

• Published in: Imaging science in dentistry 2023, Vol.53 (53), p.61-67
• Main Authors: Luciano Augusto Cano Martins, Danieli Moura Brasil, Deborah Queiroz Freitas, Matheus L Oliveira
• Format: Article
• Language: Korean
• ISSN: 2233-7822; 2233-7830

Purpose: The aim of this study was to objectively detect simulated tooth ankylosis using a novel method involving cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: Tooth ankylosis was simulated in single-rooted human permanent teeth, and CBCT scans were acquired at different current levels (5, 6.3, and 8 mA) and voxel sizes (0.08, 0.125, and 0.2). In axial reconstructions, a line of interest was perpendicularly placed over the periodontal ligament space of 21 ankylosed and 21 non-ankylosed regions, and the CBCT grey values of all voxels along the line of interest were plotted against their corresponding X-coordinates through a line graph to generate a profile. The image contrast was increased by 30% and 60% and the profile assessment was repeated. The internal area of the resulting parabolas was obtained from all images and compared between ankylosed and non-ankylosed regions under different contrast enhancement conditions, voxel sizes, and mA levels using multi-way analysis of variance with the Tukey post hoc test(α=0.05). Results: The internal area of the parabolas of all non-ankylosed regions was significantly higher than that of the ankylosed regions(P