Use of large-volume cone-beam computed tomography in identification and localization of horizontal root fracture in the presence and absence of intracanal metallic post

Abstract

Introduction: The objective of the study was to evaluate the ability of large-volume cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to detect horizontal root fracture and to test the influence of a metallic post.

Methods: Through the examination of 40 teeth by large-volume CBCT (20-cm height and 15-cm diameter cylinder) at 0.2-mm voxel resolution, 2 observers analyzed the samples for the presence and localization of horizontal root fracture.

Results: The values of accuracy in the groups that had no metallic post ranged from 33%-68%, whereas for the samples with the metallic post, values showed a wide variation (38%-83%). Intraobserver agreement showed no statistically significant difference between the groups with/without metallic post; both ranged from very weak to weak (kappa, 0.09-0.369).

Conclusions: The low accuracy and low intraobserver and interobserver agreement reflect the difficulty in performing an adequate diagnosis of horizontal root fractures through a large-volume CBCT by using a small voxel reconstruction.