Incidental findings in the maxillofacial area with 3-dimensional cone-beam imaging

Discovery of pathologies by orthodontists on lateral cephalograms

“…The recent literature did contain publications of case reports [9][10][11][12] and studies of sella turcica morphology. 30,31 The impact of this study's findings, along with previous findings in the literature, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]22 certainly supports the position that all orthodontists who take lateral cephalograms should approach each image as a skull film and observe the entire head and neck. Then the film may be used as a source of morphometric measurements to assist in orthodontic diagnosis.…”

“…8 Thus, the recent orthodontic literature contains reports on the frequency of pathologies on consecutively observed patients in academic environments. Fortunately, the 0.02% frequency of discovery in this study is low compared to previous studies.…”

“…26,27 Also, there have been several recent articles that address the issue of the radiographic observer's responsibility to detect incidental findings. 7,8,[26][27][28] The intention of this study is not to debate the efficacy of cephalometric radiographs in orthodontics. It is to provide information on the frequency of orthodontists discovering significant, potentially lifeaffecting head and neck pathologies on lateral cephalograms.…”

“…A review of the literature did not reveal the frequency of practicing orthodontists who had discovered pathologies on cephalograms. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Dentists and orthodontists have been concerned about the radiation exposure from radiographs. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] In addition, there have been questions about orthodontists' level of responsibility in discovering incidental abnormalities on radiographs.…”

Maxillary Sinus Abnormalities Detected by Dental Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

“…In maxillary sinus floor elevation procedure, it is important to be acquainted with different anatomic and pathologic findings in sinus, to minimize the risk of postoperative complications [3]. In a study done by Cha et al, using CBCT as a tool for examinations, the abnormalities found were signs of acute sinusitis (7.5%), retention cysts (3.5%), and polypoid mucosal thickening (2.3%) [7]. In other studies, the prevalence of flat mucosal thickening ranged from 23.7% to 38.1%, polypoid mucosal thickening ranged from 6.5% to19.4%, signs of acute sinusitis was 3.6%, and partial and total opacification were 12% and 7%, respectively [8,9].…”