Clinical rationale and indications for the use of cone-beam computed tomography

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the clinical rationale and prescription patterns for Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) across various dental specialties, specifically investigating how diagnostic indications correlate with field of view (FOV) preferences, patient demographic variables (age and gender), and temporal referral trends. In this retrospective analytical study, 694 CBCT request forms belonging to patients examined at the Department of Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Harran University, between January 2023 and October 2025 were reviewed. Patients’ demographic information and imaging parameters were recorded, and the SPSS 23 software and Pearson’s Chi-square test were used for the statistical analysis of the data obtained. The sample consisted of 351 male (50.6%) and 343 female (49.4%) patients, with an overall mean age of 26.88 ± 17.10 years. The majority of CBCT requests originated from the departments of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (59.8%) and Orthodontics (29.0%). The most frequent indications for imaging were cyst/tumor (20.0%) and impacted tooth (17.6%), respectively. A statistically very strong association ( p <0.001) was found between the field of radiological examination and the specialty. In this context, a Max-Man view encompassing both jaws was preferred in 90.8% of surgical cases, a full skull exposure was preferred in 43.8% of orthodontic cases, and localized exposures—owing to the need for high resolution and radiation safety—were preferred in 81.2% of endodontic cases. In addition, a significant association ( p <0.001) was found between the reason for imaging and gender, while the temporal analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in referral density during the second half of the year, particularly in September and October ( p =0.001). The results of this analysis demonstrate that dental CBCT examinations are not a routine screening tool applied indiscriminately, but rather a targeted imaging protocol shaped according to the specific diagnostic needs of the relevant specialty, patient demographics, and anatomical region requirements. These clinical and temporal findings provide an important reference for resource management and workload optimization in radiology departments.