A Comparison of the Amounts of Artifacts Produced by Five Cements in Cone-Beam CT

Background: Bidimensional radiographic methods, including periapical, occlusal, panoramic, and cephalometric radiographs, are widely used in dentistry. However, the superimposition of adjacent structures and consequent loss of anatomic details may occur. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the artifacts produced by different cements with different densities using conebeam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: Samples of five cements with different densities including glass ionomers (or GI, from ChemFil Rock and Fuji IX), mineral trioxide aggregates (MTA), zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE), TempBond and a control sample (polyester) were scanned by CBCT device and analyzed using OnDemand 3D application software. The amount of artifacts was measured by ∆ gray scale value (∆GSV), which was achieved by subtracting the gray level of the samples from the control group. Results: According to the mean GSV of the five different materials, the majority of artifacts produced were as follows: TempBond > ZOE > MTA > GI (ChemFil Dentsply) > GI (GC, FujiIX). Conclusions: The type of materials can influence the obtained GSV. Different materials cause various amounts of artifacts due to differences in density and atomic number.