MRI disturbances caused by dental materials

Dental materials are common sources of artifacts during brain MRI studies. The aim of the present study was to estimate the degree of image disturbance caused by dental materials during an MRI examination, and the risk of ferromagnetic materials being dislocated in the magnetic field. MR sequences where dental materials containing metals produced the smallest artifacts was also calculated. Thirty-five dental material samples containing metals were examined using the 1.5 T MR system. They consisted of the most commonly used dental restorations and root-canal instruments left in the oral cavity for iatrogenic reasons. Additionally, cubes (10×5×5 mm) and balls (10 mm diameter) were cast from commonly used dental alloys. No dislocation of the examined samples in the gelatin medium was observed. All the materials were found to produce artifacts characterised by similar images. The study showed that the presence of distant artifacts, besides those located in the area immediately surrounding the object, depends on the shape of the given material. The size of artifacts generated by the most commonly used fixed restorations was graded. The sequences in which artifacts were least pronounced were selected. No dislocation of samples in the 1.5 T field was observed during the examination. However they produced artifacts; the typical image of an artifact - a signal void zone surrounded by a hyperintensive rim. Alloys consisting of Ag-Pd, dental gold and amalgam distorted the MR image to the least degree. In the case of a routine spin echo (SE) sequence examination the smallest artifacts were generated in the FSE T2 and PD sequences.