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Evaluation of furcation involvement with diagnostic imaging methods: a systematic review
Guilhem Jolivet1,2, Olivier Huck1,2,3, Catherine Petit1,2,3
1Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, Periodontology, Strasbourg, France.
Dento Maxillo Facial Radiology
|July 5, 2022
Summary
Accurate diagnosis of furcation involvement (FI) is crucial for multirooted teeth. Cone beam CT (CBCT) shows better reliability than intraoral radiographs (IOs) or orthopantomograms (OPGs) for detecting FI, though none are gold standards.
Area of Science:
- Periodontology
- Dental Imaging
Background:
- Multirooted teeth have a less favorable prognosis with periodontal disease, significantly influenced by furcation involvement (FI).
- Accurate diagnosis of FI is essential for effective therapeutic strategies in multirooted teeth.
Approach:
- This systematic review evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of various clinical and radiological methods for assessing furcation involvement.
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted up to March 2021, including comparative studies on furcation assessment techniques.
Key Points:
- Cone beam CT (CBCT) demonstrated the highest agreement (82.4-84%) with the open furcation score (OFS) for FI detection, outperforming intraoral radiographs (IOs) (38.7-83.1%) and orthopantomograms (OPGs) (43.3-63%).
- The accuracy of radiological assessments was influenced by the furcation entrance location and examiner experience.
- While IOs, OPGs, and CBCT can detect FI, they are not considered definitive gold-standard diagnostic methods.
Conclusions:
- Radiographic methods, particularly CBCT, aid in detecting furcation involvement in multirooted teeth.
- No single radiographic technique currently serves as a gold standard for diagnosing furcation involvement.
- Further research may be needed to establish optimal diagnostic criteria for early-stage furcation involvement.
