Visualisation of dental anatomy in CBCT scans: Part 1

To the trained eye, every tooth is different. An in-depth understanding of dental anatomy in cross-sectional images is a fundamental basic skill required when interpreting cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. The conventional orthogonal planes of axial, coronal, and sagittal are not always the best planes in which to assess teeth because every tooth is at a slightly different angle to all these planes. In this chapter, the author demonstrates the characteristic anatomy of upper and lower incisors, canines, premolars, and molars in longitudinal and transverse sections, using carefully uprighted images. Some of these teeth are also shown in transverse section at various levels in the crown and root. The chronology of permanent teeth is shown. Developing teeth are discussed and incremental growth lines are mentioned.The author describes three well-known dental notation systems (Palmer, FDI, hybrid).There are four videos accompanying this chapter, including one fascinating video showing a scroll-through of all the cross-arch sections of a synthetic panoramic (curved multiplanar reconstruction) image that includes all the upper and lower teeth in a 16-year-old.