Metallic Scatter is the Most Common Type of CBCT Artifact

Objectives: Artifacts associated with imaging systems such as with Cone Beam CT (CBCT) are often limitations of the technology but can also be based on acquisition methods. While most cannot be eliminated, they can be mitigated. To achieve this, an understanding of the most common types of artifacts, reason for their occurrence and prevalence is essential. The objective of this study is to evaluate CBCT scans for prevalence of different types of artifacts in patients referred for varying clinical conditions.
Methods: A total of 200 randomly selected CBCT scans were analyzed for this study. Using i-Dixel-2.0 CBCT reconstruction program, age, field of view (FOV), and the reason for the scan were evaluated. Scans were analyzed for the presence or absence of artifact and the prevalence of the type of artifact.
Results: Metallic scatter accounted for the most significant artifact associated with CBCT scans in this particular patient population (80%), followed by beam hardening and a cup- cap artifact associated with void data registration adjacent to post and core restorations and dental implants. Ring artifacts and motion artifacts accounted for a lower percentage of the artifacts (15%) and aliasing and image noise accounted for the residual of the scans (5%).A majority of the scans (75%) were referred for dental implants and (20%) were for endodontic reasons and the rest (5%) were for impactions and orthodontic evaluations. Compared to the younger patients, most older patients had metallic scatter owing to metallic restorations or dental implants.
Conclusions: Metallic scatter was the most common artifact in Cone Beam CT scans specific to this small patient population group. A larger sample from different types of CBCT scanners and referrals must be done to evaluate this topic further.