Incidental findings in the maxillofacial area with 3-dimensional cone-beam imaging.

INTRODUCTION: The purposes of this study were to evaluate the location, nature, and occurrence of incidental findings in maxillofacial structures on 3-dimensional cone-beam volumetric scans done for dental diagnostic purposes and to look for associations between these findings and symptoms in orthodontic patients.

METHODS: Images from 500 consecutive maxillofacial 3-dimensional scans were examined. The patient sample consisted of 252 orthodontic patients, 172 implant patients, 33 endodontic patients, 34 temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder patients, and 10 others.

RESULTS: The overall rate of incidental findings was 24.6% (123 patients of 500). The highest rate of incidental findings was in the airway area (18.2%), followed by TMJ findings (3.4%), endodontic findings (1.8%), and others (1.2%). In the orthodontic group, the incidences were airway findings, 21.4%; TMJ findings, 5.6%; and endodontic lesions, 2.3%. Only 22% of the airway findings, such as mucosal thickness, polyps, and retention cysts, were correlated with clinical signs and symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS: For clinical diagnosis, the data should be interpreted with a full history of clinical signs and symptoms, and with detailed communications with radiological colleagues and other specialists to comprehensively evaluate possible underlying diseases.