Accuracy of Linear Measurements of Ultra-Low Dose Cone Beam Computed Tomography and Digital Panoramic Radiography Performed on Mandibular Anaesthetic Landmarks Versus Real Mandibular Measurements: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of linear measurements performed on mandibular
anaesthetic landmarks obtained by ultra-low-dose cone beam computed tomography and digital panoramic
radiography in comparison with real measurement on dry mandible.
Method: A total number of nine dry human mandibles were selected and mandibular anaesthetic landmarks
were marked using gutta-percha. The dry mandibles were submitted for digital panoramic radiography and
cone beam computed tomography with mini-dose parameters using the SOREDEX CRANEX™ 3Dx unit,
linear measurements were performed on SCANORA Lite image viewer and on Demand 3D viewer. The real
linear measurements were measured using digital caliper.
Results: There was a statistically significant difference in all measurements performed on digital panoramic
radiographs,reformatted panoramic images underestimate real linear vertical measurements without
significant difference, the absolute error for the cross-sectional views of CBCT ranged from 0.0001 to
1.44mm for mandibular foramen linear measurements, using mini-dose parameters did not affect image
quality nor measurements accuracy.
Conclusions: Linear measurements driven from CBCT cross-sectional images using On Demand software
are accurate and have the lowest error value; therefore it is considered one of the most important imaging
modality for preoperative surgical site assessment.