Pattern of CBCT Reference in Various Dental Specialities

Aims and Objectives: To conduct a survey on current referral pattern of CBCT imaging among various dental specialties in a government dental institution in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Method: A total of 2106 referral forms of CBCT scans taken between 2012 -2017 were analyzed retrospectively on parameters of patient gender, age, specific site, purpose of scan and annual variation. The data thus collected was analyzed using SPSS version 19.0 Results: Maximum referrals were from the department of oral and maxillofacial radiologists at 39.8%, a total of 58.7% of the total scans were requested for treatment planning purposes with implant planning being the most cited reason at 52.1%. Conclusion: Our study shows that there is a rising trend in use of CBCT with the progress of years among the dental practitioners. Though implant planning is the prime reason for CBCT imaging in dentistry, it is increasingly being used for various other diagnostic and treatment planning purposes as well. There exists a growing demand and need for educating the dental specialists in the various uses of CBCT and importance of providing apt data to the radiologists to facilitate optimum imaging of the patient.