Comparative of radiation dose and image quality of Conventional Multislice Computed Tomography (MSCT), Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) and periapical radiography in dental imaging

With the increasing use of CT (Computed Tomoghraphy) scans in dentistry especially in the implantology, there may be significant increases in the radiation exposure and its risk. During the last year’s ConeBeam Computed Tomoghraphy (CBCT) has been introduced as an imaging modality for dentistry. The aim of this review article was to present comprehensive information have been published, regarding the radiation dose and image quality of Conventional Multislice Computed Tomography (MSCT), Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) and periapical radiography in dentistry imaging.
A review of the literature was carried out in PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct and Scopus database using key words (CBCT, MSCT, periapical radiography, radiation dose of dentistry and image quality). These searches were limited to the articles published between the years of 1993 to 2015.
In comparison to MSCT, CBCT had a short scanning times and lower radiation dose, but in comparison to periapical radiography, CBCT had higher radiation dose. In contrast, CBCT with flat panel detector had higher spatial resolution to MSCT. The periapical radiography also had a good image contrast and relatively high resolution. Generally, CBCT was suitable for hard tissue imaging and MSCT was preferred for soft tissue imaging.