Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download

CAD/CAM International magazineof digital dentistry No. 1, 2017

| ce article patient record Essential communication: The use of technology for virtual patient records Authors: Dr Les Kalman & Mariana Capretz, Canada CE credit Introduction This article qualifies for CE credit. To take the CE quiz, log on to www. dtstudyclub.com. Click on ‘CE arti- cles’ and search for this edition of the magazine. If you are not regis- tered with the site, you will be asked to do so before taking the quiz. Records are an essential and integral component of diagnosis and treatment planning.1 Moreover, the acquisition of records allows the required commu- nication between the clinician, laboratory, patient, and other third party stakeholders.2 This is critical in all aspects of dentistry, but holds immense value in implant dentistry. Unfortunately, there is a growing epidemic in which clinicians are utilising the mini- mal amount of records.2 This becomes a paramount issue in the delivery of predictable and successful dental prosthetics. Records may take many forms, but they tend to originate from two different groups: concrete and virtual. Concrete records include impressions and models, while virtual records encompass modalities Fig. 1: The 3M True Definition Intra-Oral Scanner. Fig. 1 38 CAD/CAM 1 2017 such as cone bone computed tomography (CBCT) and intraoral scans. Each group has their own strengths and weaknesses, yet the literature seems to suggest that CBCT provides an abundance of information, especially for implant dentistry.3 Computed tomography Computed tomography (CT) has revolutionised di- agnostic radiology.4 Since its inception in the 1970s, its use has increased rapidly, with the annual number of CT scans, in the United States alone, now being over 70 million.4, 5 By its nature, a CT unit involves larger radiation doses than the conventional X-ray imaging procedures. Consequently, a typical CT se- ries results in radiation doses that are associated with a small, yet statistically significant increase in lifetime cancer risks.4-7 The quantity most relevant for assessing the risk of developing cancer from a CT procedure is the ‘effective dose’.8 A diagnostic CT procedure produces an effective dose in the range of 1 to 10 mSv, with a dose of 10 mSv possibly being associated with an increase in the likelihood of can- cer of approximately 1 in 2000.8 The risk of radiation- induced cancer is much smaller than the natural risk of cancer; however, this small increase in risk for an individual becomes a public health concern if large numbers of people undergo increased numbers of CT screening procedures unnecessarily.4, 9 There is strong evidence suggesting too many CT studies are being performed in the United States and it has been speculated that one third could be replaced by alter- native approaches, or not performed at all.4 Furthermore, in the dental office setting, the large size, high cost of the equipment and logistics makes it improbable for the clinician. Likewise, with a cost per scan ranging in the hundreds to thousands, the procedure can be challenging for patients.10 Thus, although CT has numerous beneficial aspects, there are barriers to the technology from both the clinician's and patient's perspective. Subsequently,

Pages Overview