Comparison the Accuracy of the Cone-Beam Computed Tomography With Digital Direct Intraoral Radiography, in Assessment of Periodontal Osseous Lesions

Radiography is as a part of periodontal examination. Early detection of periodontal disease is important in the prevention of tooth loss and patient’s general health. The objective of this study was to compare diagnostic accuracy of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) with digital direct intraoral radiography, in assessment of periodontal osseous lesions. Fifty interproximal bone losses were evaluated in this study. First, direct digital intraoral radiography (Sopro-La Ciotat-France) was taken, and then CBCT (Newtom 3G, Verona. Italy) was carried out. Periodontal flap surgery was done to achieve the gold standard. The distance between cementoenamel junction (CEJ) and the bottom of the vertical pattern of bone loss or the most coronal level of bone in horizontal pattern was measured. These measurements were analyzed by paired t test. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate the degree of agreement between observers. Accuracy is higher with CBCT in evaluating vertical dimension of periodontal bony defects (0.53 ± 0.59 to 0.56 ± 0.45) (P < 0.001). ICC shows high level of agreement between observers in two image modality. We conclude that CBCT and digital images can be used in periodontal bone assessments; each modality should be chosen based on defect type and patient’s specific characteristics.