Why CBCT is imperative for implant placement

Abstract

Dental implants are widely used for the rehabilitation of edentulous spaces. Diagnostic images of the surgical site is essential for preoperative planning, intra-operative assessment, and postoperative evaluation. At present, Cone-Beam Computed Tomography(CBCT) is the best imaging modality for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the surgical site for implant placement. It allows pragmatic planning and subsequent post operative evaluation with submillimetric accuracy. CBCT software enables simulation of implant placement to choose the ideal dimension, position and orientation. This article briefly describes why CBCT is crucial for dental implants and explains how to utilise its advantages. Radiological pictures of a few cases have been discussed to highlight the merits and demerits of this imaging modality for pre-surgical and post surgical evaluation of implant placement.

Keywords

• anatomical landmarks
• cbct
• implant safe zone
• implant dimension
• implant assessment