Methods: we build a test phantom utilizing a dry skull inserted into a plastic sheath lined with foam rubber and covered by a wetted sheet. We wet the scaffold material with a syringe inserting the needle through the plastic package and we insert it into the extraction socket of tooth 3.6 and into the left nasal cavity. We realize several CBCT exams, using the Newtom 3G® scanner (FOV of 6").
Results: It was possible to evaluate all the phantom bone structures. It was also possible to identify the tested material and to remark the image's differences between the blood and the saline solution wetted one. We can't localize the presence of the dry material.
Conclusions: CBCT exam expose the patient to a lower x-ray dose face to traditional multislice CT: this is really important in young patients with pathologies, like cleft lip and palate, that requires several radiological exams during the treatment. Our in-vitro results suggests that CBCT can be very useful in the assessment of scaffold reabsorption and bone formation during the bone healing process after the secondary grafting in complete cleft lip and palate patients and they encourage to replicate in-vivo this trial during a CBCT exam realized for orthodontic reasons.