Don Tyndall Friends and fellow colleagues,
This post outlines and illustrates the recommended best practices for choosing when to use a CBCT scan and is based on the recently published CBCT guidelines by the ADA and the AAOMR (American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology).
These guidelines are recommendations based on an in-depth review of the scientific and clinical literature. They're not based so much on the opinion but on the state-of-the-art as we know from the published literature. These guidelines are recommendations and are not legally binding. The clinician still should use their own clinical judgment and decision making about ordering radiographs and CBCT scans for specific individual patients.
The overall general theme is to order radiographs or CBCT scans based on the patient's history, clinical findings and current needs. This has not changed from the previous recommendations published in 2012. Acquiring a cone beam CT on every patient is not recommended.
I hope this generates some discussion. Please feel free to ask questions and express your own point of view.
Best regards,
Don Tyndall