Panoramic Radiography versus Cone-Beam Computed Tomography in the Therapeutic Decision of the Impacted Teeth

The purpose of this study was to evaluate on a group of 67 patients (29 boys and 38 girls) aged 6-37 years the frequency of the type of impacted teeth, the treatment performed, as well as to compare the images obtained on the panoramic radiographs and on the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in order to establish an appropriate therapeutic decision. The impacted canine was the most frequent, followed by the incisor and premolar impaction. The most common therapeutic procedure was surgical exposure and orthodontic traction. The therapeutic decision was changed after examining the CBCT images, which brought additional information about the impacted tooth and the relationships with the adjacent tissues. The three-dimensional CBCT reconstructions were relevant for visualizing the path of the impacted tooth, the buccal-palatal choice of the surgical opening and the evolution of the orthodontic traction of the impacted tooth.