Diagnostic quality of panoramic views obtained by a newly developed digital volume tomography device for maxillofacial imaging

Objective: To compare the diagnostic quality of 2-dimensional panoramic views generated from imaging data acquired by a newly developed cone beam machine with the diagnostic quality of conventional digital orthopantomograms (OPTs). Method and Materials: Thirty panoramic views reconstructed from digital volume tomograms (DVT) obtained by the pre-retail version of Galileos (Sirona Dental Systems), a newly developed compact cone beam device, were compared with 30 OPT images acquired by Orthophos XG Plus (Sirona Dental Systems). Diagnostic quality was assessed by 3 observers on criteria regarding detection of diagnosis-related findings, image quality, and visualization of anatomic structures in the maxillomandibular area. Wilcoxon rank sum test was applied for paired comparison. Results: Statistical analysis showed no significant difference in diagnostic quality between both imaging modes using a calculation model based on 10 weighted criteria (P = .629). There was especially no statistically significant difference in the assessment of diagnosis-related findings detection (P = .163). Image quality of DVT panoramic views was significantly lower than that of OPT. Except for mandibular canal and alveolar ridge gingiva, all evaluated anatomic structures were visualized better by DVT. Intraclass correlation coefficients were consistently higher in the DVT group for all criteria but 2, although the difference was not statistically significant (P = .374). Conclusions: DVT panoramic views perform better in diagnosis of specific lesions, whereas OPTs provide a better image quality for a general overview of the maxillomandibular area. The diagnostic quality of both imaging modes is, however, equal. Keywords: cone beam computerized tomography, diagnostic quality, digital radiology, digital volume tomography, image quality, maxillofacial imaging, orthopantomogram