Use of dental CBCT in the pediatric population

Cone beam kompjutorizirana tomografija (CBCT) postala je neizostavan dio dentalne radiografije i pronašla primjenu u svim granama stomatologije. U ovom radu opisana je primjena CBCT ureĎaja u dentalnoj medicini, s naglaskom na pedodonciju, princip korištenja, doze zračenja te glavne prednosti i nedostaci. Brojne prednosti CBCT-a nadmašuju konvencionalnu 2D radiografiju, ali glavni je nedostatak takvih ureĎaja povećana doza zračenja. CBCT se moţe koristiti u dječjoj dentalnoj medicini kada je potreban uvid u treću dimenziju maksilofacijalnoga područja, meĎutim, zbog visoke radiosenzitivnosti dječje populacije njegova je primjena ograničena na svega nekoliko indikacija: impaktirani zub, interna i eksterna resorpcija korijena, anatomske varijacije, patologija temporomandibularnoga zgloba, ortognatska kirurgija, rascjep usne i nepca te kongenitalne anomalije i sindromi. Moguća je primjena i u drugim slučajevima, ali vodeći se ALARA principom, 2D radiografija trebala bi biti prvi izbor, a CBCT rezerva za one najzahtjevnije slučajeve u kojima konvencionalni RTG snimci nisu dostatni.Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) has become an indispensable part of dental radiology and has found use in all fields of dentistry. This reasearch paper provides an overview of the use of CBCT in dental medicine, putting the emphasis on pedodoncy, the latest guidance, the exposure factors and the main advantages and disadvantages. Numerous advantages of CBCT surpass those of conventional 2D radiology where the radiation dose is generally higher. CBCT can be used in children's dental medicine when it is necessary to have an insight into the accurate three – dimensional representation of maxillofacial skeleton. Due to high radiosensitivity of children, its use is limited to several indications: impacted tooth, internal or external root resorption, anatomical variations, temporomandibular joint pathology, orthognathic surgery, cleft lip, cleft palate and congenital anomalies and syndroms. The use of CBCT is possible in other cases but considering the guiding principle of ALARA, 2D radiography is still the basic imaging method in dentistry and CBCT should be used in more demanding cases when conventional dental radiography is not sufficient