Quality Control in Dental Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

• Main Authors: Jin-Feng Huang, Xiao-Zhao Chen, Hong Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: cone-beam CT; contrast-to-noise ratio index; kerma area product; metrology; spatial resolution; uniformity
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/17/8162

Poor medical equipment may lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis by doctors, leading to medical accidents. Given the differences in imaging methods, the performance determination method for conventional computed tomography (CT) does not apply to dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Therefore, a detection method that is more suitable for the characteristics of dental CBCT and more convenient for on-site operation in hospitals needs to be urgently developed. Hence, this study aimed to design a robust and convenient detection method to control the quality of dental CBCT, grasp the safety information of the equipment in a timely and effective manner, discover and evaluate equipment risks, and take reasonable and necessary countermeasures, thereby, reducing the risk of medical malpractice. This study adopted dose-area product to measure dose parameters and used objective quantitative evaluation methods instead of subjective evaluation methods for spatial resolution, contrast-to-noise ratio index, and uniformity. The dental CBCT of 10 dental hospitals and clinics were tested, and the findings revealed that the testing methods used had good accuracy and applicability.