title: Comparison of film, direct digital, and tuned-aperture computed tomography images to identify the location of crestal defects around endosseous titanium implants.
abstract: This study compared diagnostic performance obtained from two-dimensional and three-dimensional x-ray images. The latter were produced with a new tomosynthetic method based on aperture theory called tuned-aperture computed tomography. Seven human cadaver mandibular segments containing a total of 20 endosseous implants with a small randomly positioned alveolar crestal defect at each implant site were imaged in two dimensions with periapical film and with a charge-coupled digital detector, and digitally with the same detector in three dimensions with tuned-aperture computed tomography and subtracted tuned-aperture computed tomography techniques. Seven trained dentists viewed randomized displays of all modalities. Outcomes of the diagnostic task of identifying the locations of crestal defects were quantified with accuracy, confidence, and time performance measures. Analyses of variance demonstrated that differences between either three-dimensional technique and either two-dimensional modality were significant for all measures (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that clinically applied TACT methods hold promise as an improvement over the status quo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C., USA.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Webber
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Horton
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Underhill
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ludlow
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Tyndall
mesh_terms: D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000009:adverse effects; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008334:Mandible / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation; D011861:Radiography, Dental / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants