Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible interference of image artifacts (IA) generated by dental implants in the evaluation of furcation involvement (FI) in molars.
Methods: Tomographic scans of first molars (1M) were performed in dry skulls in the absence and presence of titanium (TI) and zirconia (ZI) dental implants. FI grades were simulated in the alveoli of the 1Ms. Diagnostic accuracy of FI and level of difficulty were verified. Chi-squared test and logistic regression analysis were used.
Results: There was no difference in the diagnostic accuracy of FI between the arches (p = .117). The highest diagnostic accuracy value for the implant variable was found in the absence of implants (88.3%) and the lowest in the presence of two ZI implants (66.7%). The highest diagnostic accuracy value for FI was observed in grade 0 (G0). There was no significant difference between the arches regarding the evaluators' perception of difficulty (p > .05). Assessments were considered difficult in 12.7% of the TI implants and in 29% of the ZI implants. Regarding the number of dental implants, assessments were considered difficult in 24.4% cases including one implant and 17.4% cases including two implants. The logistic regression model showed a significant p-value only for one and two ZI implants (p = .0061 and p = .0096, respectively).
Conclusion: The presence of dental implants in the region adjacent to the area of investigation of FI decreased the diagnostic accuracy while increasing the perception of difficulty by the examiners, especially in cases with ZI implants.
Keywords: cone-beam computed tomography; dental implants; diagnostic accuracy; furcation defects; imaging artifacts.
© 2023 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.