Measuring bone density in healing periapical lesions by using cone beam computed tomography: a clinical investigation.

INTRODUCTION

Differences in bone density before and after endodontic treatment were examined in teeth with periapical lesions in Hounsfield units (HUs) by using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).

METHODS

Sixteen patients requiring endodontic treatment for periapical lesions underwent CBCT scan before and after treatment. Their bone densities were calculated in HUs. The study included 16 lesions measuring 8-10 mm in diameter. HU measurements were taken from an area of 2.25 mm(2) on the CBCT images where the bone density was lowest, before and after treatment.

RESULTS

The initial and final measurements were compared statistically by using paired samples statistics at the 5% significance level.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study support the use of CBCT to measure bone density before and after endodontic treatment.