Indications for digital volume tomography in orthodontics.

Disturbances in tooth eruption and tooth impactions make great demands on radiographic diagnostics. There is often need for radiographic images in various projections to assess the exact position of unerupted and impacted teeth. Digital volume tomography (DVT) is a method for localizing hard tissue structures such as bone and teeth on various planes. Moreover, it makes a three-dimensional image of the teeth, jaws and the viscerocranium possible. From an orthodontic point of view, digital volume tomography is indicated to detect impacted and ectopic teeth and to demonstrate the amount of bone available for orthodontic tooth movement. In patients with cleft lip and palate, DVT can be used to visualize the size of the alveolar cleft and to evaluate the position and development of multiple teeth, as these patients often suffer from disturbances in tooth eruption.