Enhancement cone beam computed tomography filters improve in vitro periimplant dehiscence detection.

Objective: To investigate whether cone beam computed tomography filters would improve periimplant dehiscence detection.

Study Design: A hundred titanium implants were placed in bovine ribs in which defects simulating periimplant dehiscence had previously been created. After images acquisition, three oral radiologists assessed them with and without the following filters: Angio Sharpen high 5 × 5, Shadow, Sharpen 3 × 3, Sharpen Mild, and Smooth. The McNemar test verified the disagreement between all images versus the reference standard and original images versus images with filters; P < .05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Dehiscence detection using the original images and the Shadow filter disagreed from the reference standard (P < .05), as well as when using the filters instead of the original images (P < .05).

Conclusion: All the filters tested, with the exception of the Shadow, improved periimplant dehiscence detection. The Sharpen 3 × 3 filter was considered best for this task.