Determine Your Needs Before Selecting an Imaging Modality

Based on the new guidelines from the American Dental Association, the Image Wisely ® and Image Gently ® campaigns and ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle of radiation exposure, if a dentist had a choice between only a traditional digital panoramic/cephalometric (pan/ceph) image and a cone-beam CT (CBCT) image, which would you recommend? This is a tough question because I do not believe we can just make a choice between the traditional 2D pan/ceph units and a CBCT. They are 2 completely different imaging modalities that serve different purposes. My answer is that the choice would depend on the imaging goals of the practice. For example, a general dentist and an orthodontist would likely have different imaging goals. A general dentist may be satisfied with 2D imaging for pathology screening and viewing of general dental structures. However, an orthodontist may benefit more from a CBCT to evaluate landmarks, temporomandibular joints (TMJ), jaw relations, and dental structu more...