Micro-computed tomography in preventive and restorative dental research: A review

Abstract

Purpose The use of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scans in biomedical and dental research is growing rapidly. This study aimed to explore the scientific literature on approaches and applications of micro-CT in restorative dentistry. Materials and Methods An electronic search of publications from January 2009 to March 2021 was conducted using ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The search included only English-language articles. Therefore, only studies that addressed recent advances and the potential uses of micro-CT in restorative and preventive dentistry were selected. Results Micro-CT is a tool that enables 3-dimensional imaging on a small scale with very high resolution. In this method, there is no need for sample preparation or slicing. Therefore, it is possible to examine the internal structure of tissue and the internal adaptation of materials to surfaces without destroying them. Due to these advantages, micro-CT has been recommended as a standard imaging tool in dental research for many applications such as tissue engineering, endodontics, restorative dentistry, and research on the mineral density of hard tissues and bone growth. However, the high costs of micro-CT, the time necessary for scanning and reconstruction, computer expertise requirements, and the enormous volume of information are drawbacks. Conclusion The potential of micro-CT as an emerging, accurate, non-destructive approach is clear, and the valuable research findings reported in the literature provide an impetus for researchers to perform future studies focusing on employing this method in dental research.

The applications of MicroCT in studying age‐related tooth morphological change and dental age estimation: A scoping review

“…Currently, to our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive scoping review of the application of microCT technology on dental age‐related change and dental age estimation. Existing review articles have discussed the general applications of microCT in forensics in general [42, 43] as well in the field of dentistry [44–46], but have yet to discuss the applications of microCT in studying age‐related changes and dental age estimation. Making use of publicly accessible research databases, this scoping review was able to screen published articles worldwide.…”

Microtomographic analysis of surgically-created bone defects in rats: manual versus predefined region-of-interest definition

“…The tibias were scanned by a single operator at an energy of 70 kV and an intensity of 278 µA, with a voxel size of 9 µm, using an aluminum lter (1 mm in thickness) and 180º rotation with an angular increment of 0.4° using micro-CT (Skyscan-1272 X-ray microtomography; Bruker, Kontich, Belgium). NRecon® software was used for sample reconstruction, following the same parameters of smoothing (0), ring artifact reduction (12) and beam-hardening (30%) for all samples. ROI de nition was also carried out by a single operator, based on two methods (manual and circular -prede ned), determining the existence of two groups: manualROI and circularROI.…”

“…For that purpose, a wide range of imaging modalities are used, including micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), which is a nondestructive and high-resolution method 7 , currently considered the gold standard for quantifying the bone micro-architecture in animal models 8 . In this method, images are collected from multiple viewing angles around the sample and a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction on a micrometric scale is performed 9,10 in a relatively short turnaround time with a high throughput 11 , sharing the same physical principles as that of a clinical computed tomography scanner, but with higher resolution imaging as result of its smaller voxel sizes and a longer exposure 10,12 . Some of the numerous advantages of micro-CT, such as the narrow, monochromatic X-ray with high ux, which allows an in-depth exploration of the X-ray imaging modality 12 ; the possibility of analyzing the internal structure without cutting the sample 13 , thus allowing further histological or mechanical tests using the same sample 14 or even repeat the micro-CT scanning of the same sample as many times as necessary 12,15 , can be mentioned.…”

“…In this method, images are collected from multiple viewing angles around the sample and a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction on a micrometric scale is performed 9,10 in a relatively short turnaround time with a high throughput 11 , sharing the same physical principles as that of a clinical computed tomography scanner, but with higher resolution imaging as result of its smaller voxel sizes and a longer exposure 10,12 . Some of the numerous advantages of micro-CT, such as the narrow, monochromatic X-ray with high ux, which allows an in-depth exploration of the X-ray imaging modality 12 ; the possibility of analyzing the internal structure without cutting the sample 13 , thus allowing further histological or mechanical tests using the same sample 14 or even repeat the micro-CT scanning of the same sample as many times as necessary 12,15 , can be mentioned. It also provides a simultaneous precise quanti cation of different parameters, including mass, mineral density, geometry, and trabecular and cortical parameters 16 .…”

Structural and Mechanical Investigation of Class I Biomimetic Composite Dental Filling by X-ray Computed Tomography, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Microtensile Bond Strength Testing

“…Another non-destructive imaging method to evaluate dental restorations (among many other structures) is the use of micro-computed tomography (µCT). With the help of this method, microstructures, defects, and also differences in density and morphology can be analyzed [9]. The µCT scan uses X-ray to transilluminate objects, allowing the size, homogeneity, and location of each tooth tissue to be observed.…”