High-resolution cone-beam CT images are superior to intraoral charge-coupled device (CCD) images in detecting vertical root fractures, according to a study in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology and Endodontics (December 21, 2009).
A group of researchers from Ankara University in Turkey compared images from two cone-beam CT units -- the NewTom 3G (small FOV) and the Iluma (ultra/low resolution) -- with those of an intraoral CCD sensor. They created vertical root fractures in 30 teeth, with 30 intact teeth serving as control samples. All images were evaluated twice by four observers, with Kappa coefficients calculated to assess intra- and interobserver agreement.
According to their results, both intra- and interobserver agreement values were higher for the ultra-resolution Iluma and NewTom 3G images than the low-resolution Iluma and intraoral CCD images. No significant differences (p > 0.05) in diagnostic accuracy were found between the Iluma ultra-resolution and NewTom 3G images, with the exception of the second reading of one observer (p = 0.036), and no significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between the intraoral digital and low-resolution Iluma images.
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