Evaluation of periodontal bone loss using digital intraoral radiography and cone beam computed tomography

Aim: The objective of this study was to compare Radiovisiography (RVG) with Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging in detecting periodontal bone loss by comparing measurements of the distance from the cemen to enamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar crest (AC) and thereby exploring the diagnosticvalues of RVG and CBCT in the determination of periodontal bone loss. Materials and Methods: This study incorporated 50 adult patients having periodontal disease determined by intra oral examination of these patients, standardized digital intraoral periapical radiographic images and CBCT images were obtained. The images thus obtained were analyzed by a single examiner for the distance between the CEJ and AC for selected sites. Statistical Analysis Used: The data collected was subjected to the independent ‘t’ test. Results: Statistical analysis showed statistically significant difference between alveolar bone loss measurements on RVG and CBCT in the following teeth 12,26,34,35 & 47 with a P value of 0.008, 0.015, 0.010, 0.019 & 0.05 respectively, while no statistically significant difference was seen in the remaining teeth with a Pvalue > 0.05. Conclusion: It was concluded from this study that the 2 methods (RVG & CBCT) differ when detecting the distance from the CEJ to AC, with CBCT having a superior image recording capabilities compared to RVG and also allowed for an analysis of the buccaland lingual/palatal surfaces and an improved visualization of the morphology of the defect.