A comparison of cephalometric measurements with conventional lateral cephalic 2D and reconstructed lateral cephalic of CBCT

Abstract

Lateral cephalic radiography is mainly used to describe the morphology and growth of the craniofacial skeleton. It is considered a valuable diagnostic aid in orthodontics to plan treatment and evaluate the results. (1)(2) Cephalometric analyses requires identifying specific reference points and calculating various angular and linear dimensions. (3) Because cephalometry has been one of the most important diagnostic tools available to orthodontists for more than seven decades, different cephalometric norms have been published by leading physicians and researchers and it is used for: diagnosis, treatment progress, post-treatment evaluation, and research. (4) According to the orthodontic literature, other reconstructions such as lateral cephalic are known from more recent 3D cone beam computed tomography images. The attempt to develop 3D analysis and diagnosis is more interesting today. (4) (15) (23) Lateral cephalic radiographs are two-dimensional (2D) images that are used to represent three-dimensional (3D) structures. (5) Due to the different disadvantages of a 2D lateral cephalic X-ray: geometric distortion and the superposition of anatomical structures, 3D imaging has overcome the hurdle of 2D imaging by allowing orthodontists to visualize craniofacial structures without overlap or distortion.(6)(7)