Nuclear imaging in the field of dentistry: a review

Abstract

Nuclear medicine(NM) imaging has played a vital role in the early diagnosis of disease in the recent decades. Although in the present time's conventional radiographs, Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), Computed Tomography (CT), and other alike imaging modalities are being routinely used for diagnosis and treatment purposes in the head and neck region, NM has been in use only for certain oral and maxillofacial pathologies. NM is an impressive and influential imaging means which relies on metabolic and other physiological processes of tissues revealing accurate functional and biochemical aspects of tissues and help in precise diagnosis. Radionuclide imaging involves the use radioactive isotopes that emit gamma (γ) rays. The γ rays thus emitted are detected by a gamma camera and different planar images are formed and shows the location of the radionuclides in the body. The technique provides an early marker of the disease after allowing the measurement of tissue function in vivo. Even though NM is not used on day to day basis in the field of dentistry, the dental professional must acquire the requisite information about its various uses. This review is an attempt at making a dental professional familiar with the functioning of NM imaging in the oral and maxillofacial region.