Radiologic assessment of mandibular third molars: an ex vivo comparative study of panoramic radiography, extraoral bitewing radiography, and cone beam CT

Publication date: Available online 16 November 2018

Source: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology

Author(s): Bernardo Barbosa Freire, Eduarda Helena Leandro Nascimento, Karla de Faria Vasconcelos, Deborah Queiroz Freitas, Francisco Haiter-Neto

Objectives

: To compare the performance of panoramic radiography (PAN), extraoral bitewing radiography (EBW), and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the assessment of mandibular third molars.

Study Design

: PAN and EBW were obtained to visualize 34 third molars. The teeth were evaluated according to their position, the presence of radiographic signs of proximity of the roots to the mandibular canal, the relationship of the roots to the canal, and the relationship of second and third molars in PAN and EBW. Third molar position and root relationship with the canal were also assessed with CBCT.

Results

: PAN and EBW showed significantly closer relationships than CBCT between the tooth and the mandibular canal (p≤0.002). For all other parameters, there were no differences between PAN and EBW (p≥0.072), although EBW produced a decreased overlap between proximal surfaces of second and third molars, and a greater trend than PAN towards approximating root apices and the canal.

Conclusions

: In comparison with PAN, EBW showed a tendency to project the roots closer to mandibular canal, but a decrease in the proximal surfaces overlapping the second molar. The relationship between the third molar and the mandibular canal appeared closer in PAN and EBW than in CBCT.

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