Dental magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has long been perceived as overly complex, costly, and limited in availability. Despite the numerous advantages of this radiation-free, non-invasive procedure for soft tissue diagnostics in the head and neck region, its imaging capabilities for hard tissue, such as bones and teeth, have thus far remained limited in comparison to conventional X-ray technology. In recent years, however, technological advances have led to a notable enhancement in the image quality and the range of applications of dental MRI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCervical lymphadenopathy can indicate a range of diseases, including infections, inflammation, and neoplastic processes. Accurate diagnosis is crucial for identifying the underlying cause and determining appropriate treatment. Diagnostic procedures include clinical examination, ultrasound, fine needle aspiration, biopsy, and imaging techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSoft tissue lesions are among the most prevalent forms of tumors or tumor-like alterations within the oral cavity. They exhibit a wide spectrum of characteristics, ranging from benign, noninvasive lesions to malignant tumors, which collectively present a diagnostic challenge. A 67-year-old patient presented with an incidental finding of induration on the right cheek during dental hygiene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNumerous technical advances in magnetic resonance imaging have opened up promising new approaches in dentomaxillofacial radiology in recent years. With its ability to simultaneously visualize soft and hard tissues, MRI has the potential to become an innovative method for accurate diagnosis and planning of dental implants. Dental MRI is already a valuable and useful complement to conventional X-ray imaging techniques and could further minimize the risks of surgery by optimizing existing treatment protocols.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) is a biocompatible ceramic material widely used in the field of oral regeneration. Due to its excellent biological and mechanical properties, it is increasingly utilized for alveolar ridge augmentation or guided bone regeneration (GBR). With recent advances in computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), β-TCP can now be used in the form of digitally designed patient-specific scaffolds for customized bone regeneration (CBR) of advanced defects in a two-stage implant therapy concept.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To comprehensively assess the existing literature regarding the rapidly evolving in vivo application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for potential applications, benefits, and challenges in dental implant surgery.
Methods: Electronic and manual searches were conducted in PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE, Biosis, and Cochrane databases by two reviewers following the PICOS search strategy. This involved using medical subject headings (MeSH) terms, keywords, and their combinations.
Third molar surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Considering the patient's young age and the often-elective nature of the procedure, a comprehensive preoperative evaluation of the surgical site, relying heavily on preoperative imaging, is key to providing accurate diagnostic work-up, evidence-based clinical decision making, and, when appropriate, indication-specific surgical planning. Given the rapid developments of dental imaging in the field, the aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive, up-to-date clinical overview of various imaging techniques related to perioperative imaging in third molar surgery, ranging from panoramic radiography to emerging technologies, such as photon-counting computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to compare preoperative data relevant to third molar surgery based on radiographic orthopantomography (OPG) and orthopantomogram-like MR images (MR-OPG), using five different MR protocols. X-ray-based OPG and OPG-like MRI reconstructions from DESS, SPACE-STIR, SPACE-SPAIR, T1-VIBE-Dixon, and UTE sequences were acquired in 11 patients undergoing third molar surgery, using a 15-channel mandibular coil. Qualitative (image quality, susceptibility to artifacts, positional relationship, contact/non-contact of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN), relationship to maxillary sinus, IAN continuity, root morphology) and quantitative (tooth length, retromolar distance, distance to the IAN, and distance to the mandible margin) parameters of the maxillary and mandibular third molars were assessed regarding inter-reader agreement and quantitative discrepancies by three calibrated readers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEven though restoring missing teeth and oral tissue with dental implants is perceived by most patients as a positive experience, patients lack access to evidence-based information about different treatment options. In order to provide more accurate information for public dental education in Switzerland and to compare it worldwide, this descriptive cross-sectional survey-based study assessed pre-operative attitudes, awareness, and knowledge of patients. A total of 160 patients with indication for tooth extraction were selected randomly from clinical routine between August 2022 and February 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis prospective study aimed to present, compare, and evaluate the suitability of five different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols (3D double-echo steady-state (DESS), 3D fast spin echo short-tau inversion recovery (SPACE-STIR), 3D fast spin echo spectral attenuated inversion recovery (SPACE-SPAIR), volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (T1-VIBE-Dixon), and ultrashort echo time (UTE)) and for orthopantomogram (OPG)-like MRI reconstructions using a novel mandibular coil. Three readers assessed MR-OPGs of 21 volunteers regarding technical image quality (4, excellent; 0, severely reduced), susceptibility to artifacts (3, absence; 0, massive), and visualization of anatomical structures in the oral cavity and surrounding skeletal structures (4, fine details visible; 0, no structures visible). Average image quality was good (3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This in vitro study aimed to investigate the changes in mechanical properties in dentin of third molars after radiation therapy using variable doses and frequencies.
Methods And Materials: Rectangular cross sectioned dentin hemisections (N = 60, n = 15 per group; >7 × 4 × 1.2 mm) were prepared using extracted third molars.
The restoration of gait and mobility after stroke is an important and challenging therapy goal due to the complexity of the potentially impaired functions. As a result, precise and clinically feasible assessment methods are required for personalized gait rehabilitation after stroke. The aim of this study is to investigate the reliability and validity of a sensor-based gait analysis system in stroke survivors with different severities of gait deficits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSupernumerary teeth that are present in the molar region may be evident based on crowding and impaction, but most cases are asymptomatic and discovered as incidental findings during routine radiological examinations. This article reports the case of a 29-year-old woman who presented with a severe feeling of pressure in the region of the maxillary third molars that had been increasing in intensity for weeks. A clinical examination revealed crowding of the maxillary anterior teeth despite the completion of orthodontic treatment and an erupted third molar with localized gingivitis in the second quadrant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This preclinical comparison study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of low-dose CBCT protocols compared with standard-dose protocols in digital implant treatment planning and template-guided implant surgery.
Materials And Methods: Thirty mandibles of pig cadavers underwent both CBCT protocols on an Orthophos SL Unit (Dentsply-Sirona). Surface scans of the regions of interest were performed to create a digital diagnostic wax-up followed by 120 subsequent implant plannings (one implant per quadrant).
Clin Implant Dent Relat Res
February 2023
Purpose: To evaluate image quality and diagnostic accuracy of buccal bone thickness assessment in maxillary and mandibular anterior region using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and 3-dimensional double-echo steady-state (DESS) MRI for preoperative planning of immediate dental implants in healthy individuals.
Methods: One hundred and twenty teeth in 10 volunteers were retrospectively evaluated for image quality and artifacts using Likert scale (4 = excellent to 0 = decreased). Buccal bone thickness was measured at three measurement points (M1 = 2 mm from the cementoenamel junction, M2 = middle of the root, and M3 = at the root apex) for each tooth in the maxillary (13-23) and the mandibular anterior region (33-43).
In recent years, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has made great strides through various technical improvements and new sequences, which have made it one of the most promising and leading imaging techniques in the head and neck region. As modern imaging techniques in dentistry aim to reduce radiation exposure, this systematic review evaluated the possibilities, advantages, and disadvantages of advanced imaging diagnostics using dental MRI and its evidence for clinical indications and limitations relevant to mandibular third molar (MTM) surgery. Two reviewers performed multiple database searches (PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE, Biosis, and Cochrane databases) following the PICOS search strategy using medical subject headings (MeSH) terms, keywords, and their combinations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInjury to the peripheral branches of the trigeminal nerve, particularly the lingual nerve (LN) and the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN), is a rare but serious complication that can occur during oral and maxillofacial surgery. Mandibular third molar surgery, one of the most common surgical procedures in dentistry, is most often associated with such a nerve injury. Proper preoperative radiologic assessment is hence key to avoiding neurosensory dysfunction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Fibro-osseous lesions (FOL) of the jaw represent a rare, benign group of lesions that share similar clinical, radiological, and histopathological features and are characterized by progressive, variable replacement of healthy bone tissue by fibrous connective tissue.
Methods: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the incidence of fibro-osseous lesions and to reassess the efficacy of case-specific treatment management from a clinical, radiological, and histopathological perspective based on 14 years of data.
Results: Forty-four patients with a radiological and/or histopathological diagnosis of benign FOLs were identified and re-evaluated.
Background: This study aimed to analyze the diagnostic reliability of radiographic assessment of cystic lesions using a pre-set, manufacturer-specific, low-dose mode compared to a standard-dose dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging protocol.
Methods: Forty pig mandible models were prepared with cystic lesions and underwent both CBCT protocols on an Orthophos SL Unit (Dentsply-Sirona, Bensheim, Germany). Qualitative and quantitative analysis of CBCT data was performed by twelve investigators independently in SIDEXIS 4 (Dentsply-Sirona) using a trial-specific digital examination software tool.
Objectives: To assess the lingual nerve (LN) visualization using a 3D double-echo steady-state MRI sequence (3D-DESS).
Materials And Methods: Three readers prospectively evaluated the LN for its continuous visibility in 3D-DESS MRI in 19 patients with an indication for removal of mandibular impacted third molars, using a 5-point scale (4 = excellent to 0 = none). Six LN anatomical intermediate points (IP) were selected and checked for their detectability by a 4-point scale (4 = yes to1 = no).
We evaluate the preoperative visualization of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) and lingual nerve (LN) as reported using radiation-free magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An accurate visualization shall minimize the postoperative risk for nerve injuries in oral and maxillofacial surgery. PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE, Biosis, and Cochrane databases were selected for the PICOS search strategy by two reviewers using medical subject headings (MeSH) terms.
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