Amy Dukoff
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 HE THREE-DIMENSIONAL image provided by a CBCT scanner is a valuable diagnostic tool for the dental practitioner. The image provides information with greater depth than its two-dimensional counterpart. Because the 3-D image adds a dimension to the traditional 2-D radiograph, the additional information gained provides the dental professional with supplemental information about the area of concern in order to assist him or her in a diagnosis. The additional information improves the practitioner’s understanding of the patient, thereby improving patient care.
The 3-D image is developed by utilizing a computer’s ability to process information acquired by volume rendering. Volume rendering is the creation of an image through a series of scans in three planes. The process uses the principles of thresholds, opacity, and color to analyze the data from the scans and present the images in a useful form.
The density of the tissue becomes the image’s volume of interest (VOI). Volume of interest sets the interest in the tissue by its density range. Opacity ranges from transparent to opaque. Color is an aid that shows density differences. The volume of interest is essential in projecting the tissue’s three-dimensional quality.
The resulting volume rendering image allows the user to see the internal structure as well as the surface. Also, the computer software allows the user to cut the 3-dimensional image, making “slices” of images, with each slice displaying a two-dimensional view in any plane desired. The “sliced” images can show the tooth’s mesial, distal, buccal, and lingual dentinal integrity.
The slice that the practitioner creates is projected in a neighboring frame on the monitor. The sliced image then can be rotated and enhanced to better view a specific area of interest. By displaying the sliced image in its own window, the software allows the practitioner to control the viewing of a particular region.
As a diagnostic aid, the three-dimensional image provides valuable information to the practitioner. The three-dimensional image can be saved on a disc that can be read on any PC computer. A well-trained assistant on the dental team can provide the practitioner with the image for review. In our office, our dental assistants, including Etoy Jackson and Nichelle Nash, are able to perform the procedures. It is important that the dental team is enthusiastic about integrating cutting-edge technology into the patient care services that are offered. The three-dimensional dental image is an extremely useful diagnostic tool to use in providing patient care in the twenty-first century.
July - September 2010 |
As a diagnostic aid, the three-dimensional image provides valuable information to the practitioner.
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