Cone Beam Computed Tomography
Dental Procedures
estimated about CNY 500-1500
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Description
A specialized medical imaging technique using a cone-shaped X-ray beam to generate high-resolution 3D images of dental, maxillofacial, and cranial structures with lower radiation dose than conventional CT.
Main Uses
Primary clinical applications include: dental implant planning (assessing bone volume, density, and proximity to vital structures); endodontic diagnosis (detecting root fractures, accessory canals, periapical lesions); orthodontic assessment (impacted teeth localization, airway analysis, skeletal relationships); oral & maxillofacial surgery (evaluation of cysts, tumors, TMJ morphology, fracture displacement); periodontal bone defect mapping; and airway evaluation in sleep apnea. It is especially valuable when 2D radiographs (e.g., panoramic, periapical) are inconclusive and high-resolution 3D bony detail is required with low radiation.
Normal Range
CBCT is an imaging modality, not a quantitative laboratory test; therefore, it has no numerical 'normal range' or reference values. Instead, interpretation relies on qualitative assessment of anatomical structures, tissue density (expressed in Hounsfield Units, HU, though less precise than conventional CT), spatial relationships, and absence of pathological features (e.g., bone integrity, root morphology, sinus pneumatization, nerve canal course). Typical voxel resolution ranges from 0.2–0.4 mm, field-of-view (FOV) varies by clinical need (e.g., 5×5 cm for single tooth to 15×15 cm for full arch), and effective radiation dose is typically 20–200 µSv — significantly lower than medical multidetector CT (1,000–10,000 µSv).
Low Values - Possible Causes
CBCT does not produce 'low values' in the biochemical sense; however, suboptimal image quality (often misinterpreted as 'low') may result from: (1) insufficient radiation exposure (underexposure), leading to noisy, grainy images; (2) patient motion during acquisition causing blurring or ghosting; (3) metallic artifacts (e.g., dental implants, fillings) obscuring adjacent anatomy; (4) incorrect FOV selection excluding region of interest; (5) improper patient positioning (e.g., chin too high/low, head tilt).
High Values - Possible Causes
CBCT does not yield 'high values' like lab tests; however, artifactual 'high-density' appearances or diagnostic overinterpretation may arise from: (1) beam-hardening artifacts near metal restorations mimicking radiopaque lesions; (2) scatter radiation increasing background noise and apparent density; (3) excessive radiation exposure (overexposure), causing loss of contrast and saturation of grayscale; (4) reconstruction algorithm errors (e.g., incorrect kernel selection) exaggerating edge enhancement; (5) incidental dense anatomical variants (e.g., calcified stylohyoid ligament, sialoliths) misclassified as pathology.
estimated about CNY 500-1500