Determination of a cone-beam CT low-dose protocol for root fracture diagnosis in non-endodontically treated anterior maxillary teeth.

The aim of this study was to determine a "low-dose protocol" which provides acceptable diagnostic accuracy for detection of root fractures in unrestored anterior maxillary teeth, using an 48 maxillary anterior teeth, half with horizontal or oblique root fractures, were imaged using CBCT in an anthropomorphic model. Nine X-ray exposure combinations were used, including the manufacturer's standard ("reference") exposure and high-resolution settings ("HiRes"), by varying kV, exposure time, and rotation angle. Measurements of Dose Area Product (DAP) were recorded. Five dental radiologists assessed the scans for root fractures and judged image quality. Parameters of diagnostic accuracy were calculated, including area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (A Although there was a significant linear relationship between DAP and mean A Scope existed for radiation dose reduction compared with the manufacturer's guidance. There was no improvement in diagnostic accuracy using HiRes settings. A cautious recommendation for this CBCT machine is that it is possible to achieve a dose reduction of about 20% compared with the reference exposure parameters.