Identification and Classification of Pulp Calcifications in Posterior Teeth According to Dental Condition Using Digital Panoramic Radiography and Cone Beam CT

Overview

Journal Dentomaxillofac Radiol

Publisher Oxford University Press

Date 2024 Apr 12

PMID 38608191

Authors

Poliana Santos Goncalves

Amanda Pelegrin Candemil

Igor Bassi Ferreira Petean

Alice Correa Silva-Sousa

Cassiano Ricardo Ferreira Pires

Jardel Francisco Mazzi-Chaves

Manoel Damiao Sousa-Neto

Hugo Gaeta-Araujo

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To compare digital panoramic radiography (DPR) and cone beam CT (CBCT) in the detection and classification of pulp calcifications in posterior teeth in relation to tooth condition and its location.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty patients with simultaneous DPR and CBCT scans were selected from a dental image bank. For each posterior tooth, its condition was registered (healthy, restored, or decayed). The presence of calcifications was assessed and classified according to location (coronal or radicular) and type (total obliteration, partial obliteration, narrowing, and no calcification). Chi-square and McNemar tests were used to compare DPR and CBCT results, with a significance level of 5%. DPR diagnostic values were calculated using CBCT as reference.

Results: Decayed and restored teeth showed a significantly (P < .001) higher prevalence of pulp calcifications than healthy teeth in both imaging exams. There was a significant discrepancy between the imaging modalities in the identification of calcifications (P < .001), especially for radicular calcifications of maxillary teeth (DPR = 55.2%; CBCT = 30.9%). In the case of coronal calcifications, there was a greater discrepancy between CBCT and DPR in the mandibular teeth (10.7%) than in the maxillary teeth (7.7%). Overall, DPR presents higher sensitivity (0.855) than specificity (0.483) for pulp calcifications detection.

Conclusion: DPR considerably overestimates pulp calcifications in posterior teeth, as compared to CBCT. A higher prevalence of pulp calcifications is related to decayed and restored teeth.

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