Objective
The aim of this study was to validate the ability of CBCT to measure condylar internal trabecular bone structure and bone texture parameters accurately.
Study Design
Sixteen resected condyles of individuals undergoing TMJ replacement were collected and used as a sample. These condyles were then radiographically imaged using clinically oriented dental cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and research oriented micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). The CBCT scans were then compared to the gold standard micro-CT scans in terms of 21 bone imaging parameters. Descriptive histological investigation of the specimens was also performed.
Results
Significant correlations were found for several imaging parameters between the CBCT and micro-CT images including trabecular thickness (r=0.92), trabecular separation (r=0.78), bone volume (r=0.90), bone surface area (r=0.79), and degree of anisotropy measurements (r=0.77).
Conclusions
Measurements of trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, bone volume, bone surface area, and degree of anisotropy obtained from high resolution dental CBCT radiographs may make for suitable bone imaging biomarkers that can be utilized clinically and in future research.
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