THE BENEFITS OF CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CBCT) IN CHILDREN'S HEALTH

Aug 15

2 min read

Bad bites and deficient or abnormal growth in the craniofacial area can negatively impact breathing, sleep, and, of course, overall quality of life. Detailed imaging can be an essential step in treating these issues. As we all know, modern technology is impressive and advancing so quickly! The Cone Beam Computed Tomography, or CBCT, is no exception!

CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CBCT) IN CHILDREN'S HEALTH

CBCT is becoming more popular in dental, oral, and maxillofacial surgery fields as it offers three-dimensional imaging of the maxillofacial area. This is especially of interest to airway-focused practitioners.

As Dr. William Harrell describes, it can show the “anatomical truth,” representing the anatomy as it exists in nature. CBCT can provide important information in airway-related treatments, as it can give practitioners dimensions of the airway size, transverse dimension, TMJ, tooth development, and more. When looking at the three-dimensional airway and studying the airflow and turbulence patterns if needed, 3D imaging may provide additional information and change orthodontic or expansion treatment plans.

“You don’t know what you don’t know, you don’t know what you can’t see and what you can’t see, you cannot diagnose! “Routine cases“ might not be as routine as we think. It is better to know than not to know what the anatomic truth really is. 3D imaging might help keep us out of trouble.” – Dr. William Harrell

Dr William Harrell, 3D imaging for children's orthodontics

ARE CBCT SCANS SAFE FOR CHILDREN?

As parents, it is natural to be concerned about all aspects of a treatment plan. Is a CBCT worth the radiation exposure?

The Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is around 24 microsieverts, and two dental X-rays would be about 25-30 microsieverts. It might be helpful to remember that we get about eight microsieverts a day, depending on the elevation of where you live.

CBCT scans can produce different ranges of radiation doses depending on model type, field of view options, exposure parameters, and more. Discuss these with your airway professional to learn more about their protocols and ways to minimize dosage.

The ADA recommends that clinicians should perform radiographic imaging, including CBCT, only after reaching the professional judgment that there is a clear clinical benefit from the imaging examination and that this benefit outweighs the risks associated with exposure to ionizing radiation. The advantages and associated risks of the dental imaging examination should be discussed clearly with the patient.

PREPARING KIDS FOR CBCT SCANS AT THE DENTIST

The trickiest part about getting young kids to do the CBCT is, of course, being STILL for those seemingly lengthy 20 seconds or so. What I found to be helpful in preparing my kids for this was showing them a video of other kids doing this (thank you, Hallie Bulkin!) and talking about it as much as we could leading up to it. Still as a statue!!!

Doctor Staci tips for supporting kids before and after radiation exposure: