History, Technique, and Safety

The scope of dental imaging has been greatly expanded with the invention of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). The everyday functionality of dental practice, especially for dental specialties like orthodontics and oral surgery, has certainly changed with this radiographic technology for treatment planning and evaluation. The discovery of X-rays was made by Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen in 1895, who was a known physicist for his work. He won a Nobel Prize in 1901 for this discovery. Ever since this revolution, constant technologic advancements have been made in the field of dental radiology that had resulted in improving the diagnostic accuracy and reducing the radiation exposure in every day dental practice. In dentistry, conventional two-dimensional (2-D) radiographic imaging has been widely used. However, the conventional radiographic images have limitations like inherent magnification, distortion, superimposition of structures, and lack of depth for three-dimensional anatomical objects. Over the years, the technology has improved tremendously in terms of image quality and radiation dose. With CBCT, the visualization of structures is possible with much clarity and without superimposition. The technology has shown a profound impact on the dental practice with its widespread applications.