Cone beam CT for dental and maxillofacial imaging: dose matters

The widespread use of cone-beam CT (CBCT) in dentistry has led to increasing concern regarding justification and optimisation of CBCT exposures. When used as a substitute to multidetector CT (MDCT), CBCT can lead to significant dose reduction; however, low-dose protocols of current-generation MDCTs show that there is an overlap between CBCT and MDCT doses. More importantly, although the 3D information provided by CBCT can often lead to improved diagnosis and treatment compared with 2D radiographs, a routine or excessive use of CBCT would lead to a substantial increase of the collective patient dose. The potential use of CBCT for paediatric patients (e.g. developmental disorders, trauma and orthodontic treatment planning) further increases concern regarding its proper application. This paper provides an overview of justification and optimisation issues in dental and maxillofacial CBCT. The radiation dose in CBCT will be briefly reviewed. The European Commission's Evidence Based Guidelines prepared by the SEDENTEXCT Project Consortium will be summarised, and (in)appropriate use of CBCT will be illustrated for various dental applications.