Investigating the Effect of Contrast Changes in the Detection of External Resorption of the Apex of Single-Rooted Teeth in Cone Beam Computed Tomography: An In Vitro Study

 Root resorption of adjacent teeth can occur as a result of impacted teeth. Processing filters are employed to aid in interpreting images for diagnosis or treatment purposes. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of contrast changes on the detection of external resorption in single-rooted teeth near impacted teeth in CBCT images.

In this in-vivo study, 50 healthy single-rooted teeth were collected. The teeth were first prepared to a depth of 0. 5, then 1 mm and finally 1.5 mm in the apical region of the root. CBCT images were obtained before and sample preparations. Images with three contrasts of low, medium and high were assessed by two radiologists. Data were analyzed using Kappa and Mac-Nemar tests in SPSS software. Overall accuracy was calculated using Roc curve analyzes.

According to the data collected from both observers, the sensitivity (P=0.886), specificity (P=0.667), and overall accuracy (0.7) were high in all three low, medium, and high contrasts. Although, adjustment of the contrast did not cause to significant difference in the detection of the analysis by the observers (P=0.846).

Considering that no significant difference was observed between low, medium and high contrasts, all three types of contrast can be used to detect external resorption of the apical root region due to adjacency to the impacted tooth