Influence of Cone Beam Computed Tomography Settings on Implant Artifact Production: Zirconia and Titanium

This in vitro study assessed the artifact production related to titanium and zirconia implants in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and compared the effect of different protocol settings on image quality for both materials.

A titanium implant and a zirconia implant were placed in a dry mandible. CBCT scans were obtained separately for each implant using the ProMax 3D (Planmeca) unit; 20 protocols were tested with varying kilovoltage (70 to 90 kVp) and resolution (high and low), and with and without a metal artifact reduction tool. Standard deviation and contrast-noise ratio were calculated in regions of interest adjacent and distant to the implant.

The zirconia produced more artifacts and its images were more affected by the different protocols than titanium. High kVps and an activated metal artifact reduction tool decreased the standard deviation values related to both implants. Activation of the metal artifact reduction tool also increased contrast-noise ratio values for both implants, whereas increasing kVp improved them only on titanium images. The standard deviation and contrast-noise ratio were not affected by resolution.

The zirconia implant generated more image artifacts than the titanium implant. Increasing kVp and the metal artifact reduction tool are efficient in decreasing the CBCT artifacts for both implants, whereas resolution does not affect their production.