Reliability and accuracy of a semi-automatic segmentation protocol of the nasal cavity using cone beam computed tomography in patients with sleep apnea.

Objectives: The objectives of this study included using the cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) technology to assess: (1) intra- and inter-observer reliability of the volume measurement of the nasal cavity; (2) the accuracy of the segmentation protocol for evaluation of the nasal cavity.

Materials And Methods: This study used test-retest reliability and accuracy methods within two different population sample groups, from Eastern Asia and North America. Thirty obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients were randomly selected from administrative and research oral health data archived at two dental faculties in China and Canada.

Airway Phenotypes and Nocturnal Wearing of Dentures in Elders with Sleep Apnea.

The objective of this study was to examine to what extent the anatomic characteristics of the upper airway can influence the effect of nocturnal wearing of dentures on the sleep of edentulous elders with untreated sleep apnea. This study used the data from a randomized crossover clinical trial and an exploratory approach to address its objectives. Cone beam computed tomography scans of 65 edentulous individuals (female, = 37; male, = 28; mean ± SD age, 74.

Comparison of anatomic and aerodynamic characteristics of the upper airway among edentulous mild, moderate, and severe obstructive sleep apnea in older adults.

Study Objectives: First, to compare the upper airway's anatomic and aerodynamic characteristics of the edentulous older adults who experience mild, moderate, and severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Second, to examine the correlation between the severity of OSA and the anatomic and aerodynamic characteristic(s) of the upper airway in these edentulous individuals.

Methods: NewTom5G cone beam computed tomography scans of 58 edentulous individuals with mild, moderate, and severe OSA were included in this analysis.

Comparison of anterior and posterior trabecular bone microstructure of human mandible using cone-beam CT and micro CT.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the trabecular bone microstructures of anterior and posterior edentulous regions of human mandible using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and micro computed tomography (µCT).

Methods: Twenty volumes of interests consisting of six anterior and fourteen posterior edentulous regions were obtained from human mandibular cadavers. A CBCT system with a resolution of 80 µm (3D Accuitomo 170, J.

From pixel to image analysis.

Over the past 50 years, computer technology has evolved enormously. This has made it possible to carry out radiography in a completely new way, allowing to process X-ray images in an advanced manner and to extract the information from the image data. This article gives an overview of some of the most important developments in dental radiology.

Phenotypes of responders to mandibular advancement device therapy in obstructive sleep apnea patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mandibular advancement device (MAD) therapy is the most commonly used non-continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Although OSA patients prefer MAD over CPAP, on average over one third have minimal or no major reduction in OSA severity with MAD therapy. Improved understanding of responder characteristics (or "phenotypes") to MAD may facilitate more efficient use of limited medical resources and optimize treatment efficacy.

Differences in three-dimensional craniofacial anatomy between responders and non-responders to mandibular advancement splint treatment in obstructive sleep apnoea patients.

Aim: The primary aim of this study was to assess the differences in the upper airway morphology between responders and non-responders to mandibular advancement splint (MAS) treatment in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) management. The secondary aim was to assess the correlation between the minimum cross-sectional area of the upper airway and the anatomical structures (i.e.

CBCT assessment of gubernacular canals in relation to eruption disturbance and pathologic condition associated with impacted/unerupted teeth.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the imaging characteristics of gubernacular canals (GCs) in impacted/unerupted permanent teeth and to determine whether these characteristics differ as a result of the presence of eruption disturbances or pathologic conditions associated with impacted/unerupted teeth.

Study Design: GCs were retrospectively analyzed by using cone beam computed tomography in 250 patients with 753 impacted/unerupted permanent teeth (105 males, 145 females; mean age, 21.09 ± 14.

The Effects of Noncontinuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapies on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Upper Airway of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: The effects of noncontinuous positive airway pressure (non-CPAP) therapies on the airflow in the upper airway in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients are not completely clear yet. Therefore, the primary aim of this systematic review was to determine the effects of various non-CPAP therapies on the aerodynamic characteristics of the upper airway in OSA patients.

Materials And Methods: A PICO (population or patient, intervention, comparison, outcome) search strategy, focusing on the effects of various non-CPAP therapies on the aerodynamic characteristics of the upper airway (ie, velocity, wall shear stress, wall static pressure, airway resistance, pressure drop, and pressure effort) of OSA patients, was conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Excerpta Medica), and Web of Science.

Age of majority assessment in Dutch individuals based on Cameriere's third molar maturity index.

Radiological examination of the third molar is done in living individuals for estimation of chronological age, especially in the late adolescence. The aim of this study was to assess the application of Cameriere's third molar maturity index (I) to determine whether an individual is 18 years or older (adult) or younger than 18 years (minor) in a sample of Dutch individuals. The sample consisted of panoramic images of 360 individuals aged between 14 and 22 years old.

Analyses of aerodynamic characteristics of the oropharynx applying CBCT: obstructive sleep apnea patients versus control subjects.

Objectives: To determine the most relevant aerodynamic characteristic of the oropharynx related to the collapse of the upper airway in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients; and to determine the correlation between the most relevant aerodynamic characteristic(s) of the oropharynx and anatomical characteristics of the oropharynx in OSA patients.

Methods: 31 mild to moderate OSA patients (mean ± SD age = 43.5 ± 9.

A novel imaging technique to evaluate airflow characteristics in the upper airway of an obstructive sleep apnea patient.

We report about a novel imaging technique for airflow analysis, particle image velocimetry (PIV), used in a moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patient. By measuring the airflow characteristics in the upper airway at different protrusion positions, the effect of mandibular advancement device (MAD) on OSA was further understood.

Reliability and accuracy of three imaging software packages used for 3D analysis of the upper airway on cone beam computed tomography images.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and accuracy of three different imaging software packages for three-dimensional analysis of the upper airway using CBCT images.

Methods: To assess the reliability of the software packages, 15 NewTom 5G (QR Systems, Verona, Italy) CBCT data sets were randomly and retrospectively selected. Two observers measured the volume, minimum cross-sectional area and the length of the upper airway using Amira (Visage Imaging Inc.

Accuracy of MDCT and CBCT in three-dimensional evaluation of the oropharynx morphology.

Objective: To assess the accuracy of five different computed tomography (CT) scanners for the evaluation of the oropharynx morphology.

Methods: An existing cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) data set was used to fabricate an anthropomorphic phantom of the upper airway volume that extended from the uvula to the epiglottis (oropharynx) with known dimensions (gold standard). This phantom was scanned using two multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) scanners (GE Discovery CT750 HD, Siemens Somatom Sensation) and three CBCT scanners (NewTom 5G, 3D Accuitomo 170, Vatech PaX Zenith 3D).

Venous malformation with multiple phleboliths: A case report.

Venous malformations are congenital, abnormally formed vessels, present at birth. They do not undergo regression with the growth of the patient. Due to the stagnation of blood flow in venous malformations, thrombosis and phlebolith formation may occur.

Three-dimensional imaging of the upper airway anatomy in obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review.

Introduction: The pathogenesis of upper airway collapse in people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature in order to assess the most relevant anatomical characteristics of the upper airway related to the pathogenesis of OSA by analyzing the three-dimensional upper airway anatomy.

Method: A PICO (population/patient, intervention, comparison, outcome) search strategy, focusing on the upper airway anatomy of people with OSA, was conducted using the following databases: MEDLINE (PubMed), Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), Web of Science, and Cochrane Library.

Reliability of three-dimensional measurements of the upper airway on cone beam computed tomography images.

Objectives: The aim of this study was (1) to assess intra- and interobserver reliability of the localization of anatomic landmarks of the upper airway on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images; and (2) to assess intra- and interobserver reliability of the three-dimensional measurements of the upper airway based on these landmarks.

Study Design: Fifteen NewTom 5G (QR systems, Verona, Italy) CBCT data sets were randomly selected from the archives of the Department of Oral Radiology, Academic Centre for Dentistry (ACTA) at University of Amsterdam and VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Three observers localized six anatomic landmarks that are relevant for upper airway analysis twice, with a 10-day interval, using 3Diagnosys software (v5.

[Cone beam computed tomography: is more also better?].

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a radiographic technique that has now been available in dentistry for about 20 years. The ability to display three-dimensional structures is of importance for many defects in the maxillofacial area. A disadvantage, however, is that the dose of a CBCT-study is higher than the dose of more conventional imaging techniques.

[Panoramic radiographs in dental diagnostics].

Panoramic radiographs are frequently used in dental practice in addition to bitewing radiographs and periapical radiographs. The way a panoramic photograph is created is different from that of a projection image, such as bitewing and periapical radiographs. As a result, the sharpness of detail is much less, and overlap of structures occurs in different areas of the image.

Assessment of Random Error in Phantom Dosimetry with the Use of Error Simulation in Statistical Software.

Objective: To investigate if software simulation is practical for quantifying random error (RE) in phantom dosimetry.

Materials And Methods: We applied software error simulation to an existing dosimetry study. The specifications and the measurement values of this study were brought into the software (R version 3.

[Oral and maxillofacial radiology: laws and regulations].

Since the discovery of X-rays, medical imaging has been one of its most important applications. In the course of years, understanding of the potentially harmful effects of radiation on tissue has substantially increased as a result of experience and scientific studies. This has led to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), the organisation that is now regarded as the most authoritative in the field of information on radiation and radiation protection.

Reducing an already low dental diagnostic X-ray dose: does it make sense? Comparison of three cost-utility analysis methods used to assess two dental dose-reduction measures.

Objectives: To find a method that is suitable for providing an objective assessment of the cost effectiveness of a dose-reducing measure used for diagnostic dental X-ray exposures.

Methods: Three cost-utility analysis (CUA) methods were evaluated by comparing their assessments of two dose-reduction measures, a rectangular collimator and the combination of two devices that reduce the radiation dose received during orthodontic lateral cephalography. The following CUA methods were used: (1) the alpha value (AV), a monetary valuation of dose reduction used in the nuclear industry; (2) the value of a statistical life for valuation of the reduction in stochastic adverse effects; and (3) the time-for-time method, based on the postulate that risk reduction is effective when the number of years of life gained is more than the years that an average worker must work to earn the costs of the risk-reducing measure.