Search

Objectives: This retrospective study investigated requests and indications for cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in children and adolescents over a 3-year period at one oral and maxillofacial radiology department. Specific aims were to determine what technical settings were used, which caregivers write the referrals, and how often and for what reasons re-exposure was necessary.Materials and methods: Patients <19 years of age who had been referred to the department and undergone a CBCT scan during 2015-2017 were included in the study.Results: CBCT were made in 617 of the 3847 eligible referrals. The most common referral was from general practice dentists (GPD) (43%). Mean age of the patients was 12.5 years (range: 6-18). Nineteen different types of requests were identified. The most common request was assessment of an ectopic canine with a question about potential resorption of adjacent teeth (38.6%). Forty (6.5%) of the CBCT needed to be re-taken due to patient motion artefacts.Conclusions: The most common request and indication for CBCT examination of children and young adults were to assess an ectopic canine and determine the presence of resorption of adjacent teeth. Referrals from GPDs were the most frequent and the largest age group was the 11- to 15-year olds. The reason for re-exposures was motion artefacts. High scanning speed to reduce motion artefacts and a half rotation (180°) to reduce the radiation dose to the patient should be preferred. The need for continuous work with quality and systematic monitoring of radiographic procedures at any radiology department should be given high priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was introduced to Norwegian dental clinics in 2007. The aim of the study was to investigate how dental clinics use this imaging modality, including factors related to workflow and image quality, and to evaluate dentists' opinions on and experiences of using it. Materials and methods. A web-based 59-item questionnaire regarding the clinical use of CBCT was sent to all 39 CBCT clinics in Norway. Results. Twenty-nine clinics (74%) responded. Most respondents (93%) were from clinics with more than one dentist and 83% had at least one specialist. All clinics had digital intraoral x-ray receptors and all but one had panoramic imaging. The most common indications for CBCT were implant treatment planning (34% of all clinics) and localization of impacted teeth (43% of specialist clinics). Seventy-two per cent of clinics reported an average of four or fewer CBCT examinations each week and 83% of respondents were subjectively satisfied with the image quality. The most commonly used enhancement functions were contrast (97%), brightness (90%) and zoom (86%). Conclusions. The Norwegian CBCT clinics surveyed were fully digitized and had multiple dentists. Periodontists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons were the most frequent specialties represented in the clinics. Clinics with only dental specialists performed more CBCT examinations/week than clinics with general practitioners or both general practitioners and specialists. The most common indications for CBCT examinations were related to treatment planning. This study found some challenges related to image quality and communication within the radiological team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To investigate the prevalence, distribution and severity of dental erosion and its association with lifestyle, oral and general health in young adults. Materials and methods. Four hundred and ninety-four individuals, 20-years of age, participated. Dental erosion in molars and maxillary incisors was evaluated. Caries, plaque and gingivitis were registered. Saliva samples were taken and the subjects were interviewed about behavioural and dietary habits and oral and general health. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The individuals were sub-divided into two groups according to the presence and absence of dental erosion: within the group with erosion was a sub-group of individuals with extensive erosion. Results. Of the individuals 25% had no erosion, 75% had erosion and 18% had extensive erosion. Erosion was found in molars in 74% of the individuals and on buccal and palatal surfaces in maxillary incisors in 4% and 7%, respectively. Cupping was seen in 65% of individuals and severe erosion in molars in 1.6%. Compared to subjects with no erosion, those with extensive erosion had a higher consumption of soft drinks ( p = 0.05), caries prevalence ( p < 0.01), prevalence of mutans Streptococci ( p < 0.01) and BMI ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, subjects with erosion had higher caries prevalence ( p < 0.01) and BMI ( p < 0.01) than those with no erosion. Conclusions. Swedish young adults have a high prevalence of dental erosion, but the level of severe erosion is low. The study disclosed a relationship between dental erosion and behavioural factors, oral health and BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The first aim of this study was to examine a contemporary human skull material for possible ethnic differences in respect of degenerative changes in the temporomandibular joints (TMJs). A second aim was to see if there was any correlation between such changes and occlusal support in any of the two groups and, if so, if this correlation was sex-related. Materials and methods: The material consisted of 129 Caucasian skulls and 76 skulls from Afro-Americans. Ninety-four of the Caucasian skulls came from males (73%) and the corresponding figure for the Afro-Americans was 40 (53%). Their mean age at death was 46 years (range: 19-89 years) and 37 years (range: 18-70 years), respectively. Results. Dental status was in general poor and 13% of the Afro-Americans and 26% of the Caucasians were edentulous. Form and surface changes of the TMJs were more common in the present material compared to most previous studies. No differences could be found between the two ethnic groups in respect of degenerative joint changes in the TMJs. In men, no correlation of clinical relevance could be found between severity of joint changes and occlusal support. However, in both Caucasian and Afro-American women, such a correlation was obvious, especially in higher age. Conclusions. The present findings give no evidence for any differences in the prevalence of degenerative changes in the TMJs in Caucasians and Afro-Americans. The strong correlation found between such changes and occlusal support in women but not in men might be explained by hormonal differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]