Odontogenic keratocyst: An incidental finding during an orthodontic examination.

For all orthodontic patients, a detailed clinical examination is essential to obtain the correct diagnosis before the formulation of an orthodontic treatment plan. Additional information may be required from radiographs in order to supplement this clinical examination. While orthodontists principally prescribe dental panoramic tomographs for orthodontic patients to confirm the presence, position and morphology of unerupted teeth, the absence or presence of disease within the supporting structures may be overlooked. This case report presents one such instance where the pre-orthodontic radiographic examination of a young male patient revealed the presence of an asymptomatic odontogenic keratocyst in the right posterior body of the mandible.This case report discusses how this incidental finding was diagnosed, managed and how its surgical treatment subsequently affected the orthodontic management of the patient. Furthermore, this case highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough and systematic approach when analysing any prescribed radiographs, in order to reduce the risk of overlooking any evidence of underlying disease.

Shall I go digital?

UNLABELLED: Dental radiographic imaging is slowly transferring to digital format. The decision to invest in this new technology should be based on a good understanding of the different types of digital imaging available within the dental field. This article outlines its use in general dental practice, highlighting the pros and cons of the various systems both for intra-oral and extra-oral radiography. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: An understanding of the mechanisms of digital imaging and their associated potential problems are required by any clinician moving to film-less imaging.

Cone beam computed tomography in dental education: a survey of US, UK, and Australian dental schools.

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is an excellent three-dimensional (3D) imaging modality. Traditional dental education has focused on teaching conventional (2D) imaging. The aims of this survey-based study were therefore to evaluate the incorporation of CBCT teaching in both the predoctoral/undergraduate (D.D.S./D.M.D./B.D.S.) and postgraduate/residency specialty training curricula in dental schools in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. A nine-question survey form was electronically mailed to fifty-seven schools in the United States, sixteen schools in the United Kingdom, and seven schools in Australia. Fifty U.S. dental schools (89 percent), ten U.K. dental schools (62.5 percent), and one Australian dental school (14 percent) presently have CBCT equipment. The majority of responding schools do not include instruction in higher level use of this technology for undergraduate/predoctoral students, raising questions as to whether these students are adequately trained on qualification. Larger numbers of schools reported providing this training to residents in specialty programs. A similar trend was noticed in U.S., British, and Australian dental education. If general dentists are to be permitted to purchase and use CBCT equipment, inclusion of CBCT in dental education is an absolute requirement to prepare future dental practitioners to apply 3D imaging appropriately for diagnosis and treatment planning.

Implementing e-learning in a radiological science course in dental education: a short-term longitudinal study.

This short-term longitudinal case study evaluated the quality of learning by comparing assessment outcomes following the traditional face-to-face lecture teaching of a radiological science course to first-year dental students in 2007 with assessment outcomes following conversion of the course to an e-learning format for first-year dental students in 2008. Multiple methods were used to triangulate and add rigor to the study. Not only were multiple-choice exam results from both the 2007 and 2008 cohorts statistically compared, but an interview was conducted with the content provider to capture a different perspective. A survey was also used to provide insights into students' perceptions of the use of e-learning. Finally, the tracking records of students who accessed online lectures were considered in analysis of the data. Due to the positive response from the students, coupled with the nature of the course and an emphasis on the quality of the content, e-learning could be fully implemented, despite some shortcomings, without compromising the quality of learning.

The use of multidirectional cross-sectional tomography for localizing an odontome.

BACKGROUND: A 7-year old boy was referred with retained maxillary right primary central and lateral incisors. Radiographic exam revealed a large calcified radio-opaque mass overlying the roots of these primary teeth preventing the permanent teeth from erupting. CASE REPORT: The purpose of this paper is to describe the pre-operative use of multi-directional cross-sectional tomography in establishing the relationship between a large complex odontome that was preventing the eruption of a maxillary permanent central incisor. CONCLUSION: Low dose, multi-directional cross-sectional tomography was beneficial in visualisation of the precise relationship between the large complex odontome and the unerupted permanent incisor. This allowed correct judgement of the position on the odontome prior to its surgical removal.

Case report--Scanora imaging of an unusual unerupted tooth located entirely below the inferior dental canal.

We present an unusual case of an unerupted tooth located beneath the inferior dental canal (IDC) seen as an incidental finding on a dental panoramic radiograph (DPR). An unerupted premolar was identified on the DPR lying horizontally and located entirely below the inferior dental canal in the first and second molar region. The crown was distally orientated and was somewhat demineralised. As this unerupted tooth appeared to have an intimate relationship with the inferior dental canal, which in turn had a close relationship with the distal roots of the lower left first molar, this relationship was investigated further. Spiral tomography using Soredex's Scanora unit was used to obtain three contiguous 2 mm thick cross-sectional images of the area, which showed the separation of the inferior dental canal from both the first molar tooth above and the unerupted premolar. This case highlights the role of Scanora cross-sectional imaging in establishing accurately the relationship between teeth and the inferior dental canal and to document the unusual position of this unerupted tooth.