With the development of X-ray computed tomography (CT) in the 1960s and its first use for clinical studies in 1972 by Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, radiological tomography attained widespread use and today is one of the essential imaging techniques in medical radiology. It is a technically mature and clinically widely accepted method and complements classical X-ray panoramic radiography in many areas. The technology is frequently used in craniofacial radiology, because of its characteristic low radiation dose, high spatial resolution and lower cost compared with CT. The aim of this work was to describe the principles of cone beam computed tomography, to make a brief description of the existing devices, to present briefly the use of 3D diagnosis in craniofacial medicine.