Google Knol CBCT Directory

A major illustrated directory of dental cone beam X-ray services has been published as a service  for patients, dentists and radiologists. Titled CBCT Dental X-ray Services Directory, the guide includes hundreds of free listings for three classes of providers:

• Implantologists / dentists who support CBCT. If they have an in-office CBCT scanner, it is indicated

• Universities / Dental Schools offering CBCT laboratory services

• Private CBCT Laboratories/Clinics

The guide begins with an introduction based on a YouTube video about one of the first CBCT installations in the United States. The dentist being interviewed, Dr. Robert Langlais in this 2001 news piece gets it right:

“Without this imaging, there’s more guesswork involved.”

A quotation from Dr. Steven Guttenberg (pictured) of the Washington Institute for Mouth, Face and Jaw Surgery, drives home the point:

My original impetus for purchasing a CBCT was to assist in the complete evaluation of a site to accept a dental implant. It allowed me not only to appreciate the true location of the inferior alveolar nerve canal and the mental foramen, but also the maxillary sinus and the true proximity to the incisive canal, adjacent teeth, and nasal floor. Plain films allow only the ability to judge the height of the alveolus, but with CBCT I was able to get complete information to a hundredth of a millimeter of not only the alveolar ridge height but also of its width. The CBCT also allows us to appreciate the morphology of that ridge. These are all extremely important factors to have in one’s command prior to implant placement.

Next, a PowerPoint style presentation — actually a Google “Doc” that lives “in the cloud” of cyberspace — provides a review of CBCT Scanners. Some 18 different systems are shown pictorially in a format that automatically advances every four seconds. The guide is kept up to date by the author as new scanners enter the market. Good photos of each system entice treaters to learn more, like sports car buffs at the Auto Show. Each photo includes a hotlink to the manufacturer’s website. The links will prove useful to practitioners who want to do some comparison shopping.

Listings come next, beginning with the United States. They are organized alphabetically. Each listing is accompanied by a thumbnail image of the system offered by the practice, lab or dental school.  Some of the listings include quotations, like this one from Dr. Joseph Kravitz, whose practice includes in Imtec Iluma:

...with the Iluma, we can take 360º X-rays that give us incredibly accurate 3-D views of your teeth, gums and mouth. …This state-of-the-art technology — available nowhere else in the area — gives us the opportunity to discover and treat problems much earlier, almost as if we’re seeing into the future…. Our advanced computer-guided implant techniques allow us to map out the entire process beforehand. The preplanning on the computer lets us to accurately find the perfect placement for dental implants while steering clear of problems, such as nerves, arteries, veins and other teeth.

Typical listing of a CBCT installation

The listings (see the photo for a typical listing) include full contact information for each treater, clinic or school. When available, e-mail addresses are included. One of the directory’s requirements for listing is that each entry must include a website link that takes readers to CBCT information. This rule was written to encourage practitioners to promote the use of CBCT  for advance treatment planning, as a safety measure.  Bringing CBCT to patients as the standard of care is one of the directory’s motives.

Following the listing  of systems in about half of the 50 states, other nations are listed alphabetically beginning with Australia. So far, practices in seven nations have submitted information to the directory. This is likely to change as the global recession gives way to prosperity.

CBCT Dental X-ray Services Directory awaits your perusal. The author suggests that practices that are serious about CBCT add the directory to their website patient communication offerings. Any practice, clinic or dental school that offers CBCT services to the public are welcome to list in the directory at no charge at the present time.

The author has also written a richly detailed companion article on Dental Implants focused on patient safety. It contains CBCT images and detailed artist concepts that drive home the key messages for patients and dentists alike. It will be reported here at Marcilan in the near future.