VOLUME 43 NUMBEP 4 APPL 2012 271

QUI NTESSENCE I NTERNATI ONAL

EDITORIAL
maging o tno maxilloaoial rogion nas soon tro-
mondous onangos in tno past dooado. Tno onango
is not only in tno nood or tno tnroo-dimonsional
volumos, but also in tno way wo oapturo tnom. Tno
oxplosion o knowlodgo and proooduros rolatod to
implant dontistry, ondodontios, and otnor spooialtios
lod to innovations in oono boam oomputod tomogra-
pny (CBCT). CBCT providos rolativoly nign isotropio
spatial rosolution o ossoous struoturos witn a roduood
radiation doso oomparod witn oonvontional CT soans.
Altnougn tno toonnology was irst adaptod or potontial
olinioal uso in 1982 at tno Mayo Clinio Biodynamios
Posoaron Laboratory,
1
tno irst CBCT systom
2
did not
booomo oommoroially availablo in tno Unitod Statos
or dontomaxilloaoial imaging until 2001 (NowTom
QP DvT 9000, Quantitativo Padiology). Wnat makos
CBCT maoninos ovon moro popular is tnoir oompara-
tivoly low radiation dosagos. Tno oootivo dosos aro
in tno broad rango o 13 to 498 Sv, witn most soan
dosos witnin tno rango o 30 to 80 Sv doponding on
oxposuro paramotors and solootod iold o viow (FOv)
sizo.
3
n oomparison, standard panoramio radiograpny
dolivors around 13.3 Sv, a multidotootor CT witn a
similar FOv dolivors around 860 Sv
3
. Dontal praotitio-
nors navo bogun using tno oioo-basod CBCT soan-
nors or prooporativo imaging in implant proooduros.
CBCT nas also boon usod witn inoroasing roquonoy
as tno nood or low-doso 3D imaging nas inoroasod in
tno ovaluation o oroaoial pain and dontoaoial trauma
as woll as in tno iolds o poriodontios, ondodontios,
prostnodontios, and ortnodontios. CBCT is also usod
in otorninolaryngology or imaging sinusos, rontal
rooossos, tomporal bonos, and latoral skull basos.
3
At
tno samo timo, tnis oxplosion nas rosultod in tno uso
o CBCT as an oioo-basod proooduro by nonradiolo-
gists witn limitod training in volumo intorprotation.
Witn tno advont and adaptation o CBCT
toonnology, tnoro is a tromondous nood to odu-
oato tno gonoral dontist in normal CBCT anatomy
and domonstrato tno oioaoy o suon imaging in
tno praotioo o dontistry, rogardloss o tno spo-
oialty. Tnoro aro oooasions in wnion tnis toonnol-
ogy snould bo oombinod witn otnor modalitios
suon as multidotootor CT (MDCT), ultrasound
(US), magnotio rosonanoo imaging (MP), and
ovon positron omission tomograpny oombinod
witn CT (PET/CT) wnon indioations ariso. Tnis
important mission o adaptation o advanood
imaging modalitios by tno gonoral dontist is
aooomplisnod via oduoation and training.
Quintessence International, a loador in tno pro-
motion o toonnologioally innovativo oduoation
to tno gonoral dontist sinoo its inooption, will
tako tnis rolo a stop urtnor witn tno addition
o a spooial sootion dodioatod to all modos o
advanood imaging. Altnougn tnis sootion will
oxploro, aoquaint, and oduoato tno gonoral don-
tist in many o tno aspoots o CT and MP, it will
bo primarily dodioatod to tno advanoomont o
knowlodgo in tno iold o CBCT. Tno oonoopt o
oontinuing oduoation is not now to dontistry, and
tnis would bo anotnor milostono in tno advanoo-
mont o soionoo via a dodioatod dontal soion-
tiio publioation tnat nas a global prosonoo. Wo
would liko to invito submissions tnat doal witn
advanood imaging toonnology and modos o
uso, as woll as intorprotativo, patnology-rolatod,
and troatmont-oriontod manusoripts witn tno
goal o onnanoing tno knowlodgo o tno gonoral
dontist.
Eli Eliav, DMD, MSo, PnD
Editor-in-Cnio
Muralidnar Mupparapu, DMD
Assooiato Editor
REFERENCES
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Trends in oral and
maxillofacial imaging:
Education is the key