Comparison of Digital Diagnostic Value and Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) in Determining Vertical Root Fracture in Single- Root Teeth

ABSTRACT

Objective: To compare the accuracy of digital radiography and CBCT for the diagnosis of vertical root fractures in single root teeth. Material and Methods: For this descriptive-analytic study, 50 non-fractured, single-root teeth were selected. The teeth were randomly divided into a control and an experimental group (25 teeth in each group). The teeth in the control group did not have vertical root fractures. In the test group, after preparing the access cavity, the root canal was cleared and loosened up to No. 80 file, then a vertical root fracture was created by one of the K-Reamers Nos. 90- 130.The images were prepared by CBCT radiography in axial and cross-sectional slices and in digital radiography with PSP sensors at mesial, distal, and parallel angles. The Chi-square test was used to express the correlation of variables. Results: In the diagnosis of vertical root fractures, the sensitivity of CBCT in the axial section was 32% and in the cross-sectional slice it was 20%, whereas the specificity in both the sections was 100%. The sensitivity of the digital radiography in detecting vertical root fractures for parallel, mesial, and distal angles was 38%, 16%, and 24%, respectively. Conclusion: According to this study, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of digital radiography and CBCT were not significantly different.