title: Dental MRI using a dedicated RF-coil at 3 Tesla.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the benefit of a dedicated surface coil to visualize dental structures in comparison to standard head/neck coil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measurements were performed using the standard head/neck coil and a dedicated array coil for dental MRI at 3 T. As MRI methods, we used a T1-weighted spin-echo sequence with and without spectral fat saturation, a T2-weighted turbo-spin-echo sequence and a 3-dimensional T2-weighted SPACE sequence. Measurements were performed in a phantom to examine sensitivity profiles. Then the signal gain in dental structures was examined in volunteers and in a patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As expected for a surface coil, the signal gain of the dental coil was highest at the surface of the phantom and decreased with increasing distance to the coil; it was >120% even at a depth of 30 mm, measured from the centre of the coil. The signal gain within the pulp of the volunteers ranged between 236 and 413%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The dedicated array coil offers a significantly higher signal within the region of interest for dental MR imaging thus allowing for better depiction of pathologies within the periodontium and for delineation and tracking of the branches of the maxillary and mandibular nerves.
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: marcel.prager@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prager
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heiland
authors.affiliation: NORAS MRI Products GmbH, Leibnizstraße 4, 97204 Höchberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gareis
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hilgenfeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bendszus
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gaudino
mesh_terms: D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging
keywords: Dental MRI; Head/neck imaging; MRI; RF-coil; Signal-to-noise-ratio