CDEN0310

10 I I special _ 3-D diagnostics _Undoubtedly, digital volume tomography has significantly expanded the range of dental imaging diagnostics. Just as Paatero ushered in a new era of dental radiology at the end of the 1950s with the development of the ortho- pantomograph and the resulting introduction of panoramic view imaging, 3-D processes will, in turn, replace panoramic view imaging. Although digital volume tomography has to date been mostly used for pre-implantological planning and in reconstructive surgery, now other dental disciplines are beginning to appreci- ate the value of this process. It is in orthodontics, endodontics, dental surgery and periodontics that digital volume tomography represents a significant improvement of the possibilities of imaging processes. Its significance in the current domain, pre-implantological diagnostics, can be assessed as even greater. _Available digital volume tomographs Digital volume tomographs (DVTs) have been on the market for a good decade, and the number of suppliers of such devices has increased dra- matically. When observing the device market, two clear trends are evident: the trend towards an all-in-one device (also called dual use) and the trend towards DVTs of various volumes. All-in-one devices In addition to offering 3-D diagnostics, the ma- jority of DVTs available on the market also provide the option of producing panoramic view images (real images, not reconstructed from a data record) and sometimes even lateral cephalogram. These devices thus cover the entire range of dental large- scale diagnostics—in contrast with the first gen- eration, which only offered the DVT option. The DVTs of today’s generation are often simi- lar in design and appearance to traditional DVTs. The position of the patient with these and other frame devices is typically standing or sitting, while the once dominant supine patient position of the first-generation device is passé, except for that required by one DVT manufacturer. Various volumes Thefirst-generationdevicesfeaturedverylarge volumes that required time-consuming reworking cosmeticdentistry 3_2010 Figs. 1a & b_DVT phantom (the maxillary sinus floor and alveolar nerve of the mandible are simulated with radiopaque wire structures). Use of an X-ray phantom in dental 3-D diagnostics in digital volume tomographs Authors_ Dr Georg Bach, Christian Müller & Alexander Rottler, Germany Fig. 1a Fig. 1b