Objectives: The purpose of this study was to estimate the radiation dose for a dental spectral cone-beam CT (SCBCT) unit at different scanning parameters.
Methods: Radiation dose measurements were performed for a commercially available dental SCBCT. Scans were obtained at different exposure times and fields of view (FOV), both for non-spectral (25×18 cm, 14×18 cm, 14×12 cm, 9×9 cm, 6×6 cm) and spectral modes (14×18 cm, 14×12 cm, 9×9 cm, 6×6 cm) with the tube voltage alternating between 80 and 110 kV for spectral mode, and fixed at 110 kV for non-spectral mode. An ion chamber was used for air kerma and dose area product (DAP) measurements. The effective dose was estimated based on the mAs using previously published logarithmic curves for CBCT units with a similar X-ray spectrum.
Results: The adult effective dose, in non-spectral mode, was 44-269 µSv for small FOVs, 131-336 µSv for the medium FOV, and 163-476 µSv for the large FOV. In spectral mode, the estimated adult effective doses were 96-206 µSv for small, 299 µSv for medium and 372 µSv for large FOV protocols. Paediatric effective doses were estimated to be 75% higher than corresponding adult doses.
Conclusion: SCBCT showed comparable doses with other CBCT devices, but DAP values were generally above currently published DRLs. Spectral imaging might allow for artefact reduction at comparable dose levels, which should be assessed in further image quality studies at both a technical and diagnostic levels.
Keywords: Cone-beam computed tomography; Dentistry; Radiation dosimetry; Spectral computed tomography.