Date of Award
Summer 2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Dentistry
First Advisor
Liu, Dawei
Second Advisor
Koenig, Lisa
Third Advisor
Ahuja, Bhoomika
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the consistency in diagnosing the transverse dimension on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images as compared to digital dental models. The study consisted of 11 patients with posterior crossbite at the level of the first molar and 17 patients with no crossbite at the level of the first molar. 13 patients were male and 15 patients were female with an overall mean age of 13.6 years. Eight linear measurements and two angular measurements were made on CBCT images of the patients and six linear measurements were made on the corresponding digital dental casts. CBCT and model measurements were compared using One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Pearson correlation tests were used to seek relationships between the dental and skeletal measurements on CBCT. All ratios between maxillary and corresponding mandibular measurements were larger in non-crossbite patients than in crossbite patients. The central fossa (CF) was found to be the most representative and reliable tooth measurement in judging dental and skeletal transverse dimensions. A normative CF-CF ratio was determined to be equal to or greater than 1.10 for non-crossbite patients. High correlations were found between dental and skeletal measurements for non-crossbite patients with a CF-CF ratio equal to or greater than 1.10, but were not found for crossbite patients with a CF-CF ratio less than 1.10. In conclusion, CBCT scans may not provide additional diagnostic information as compared to dental models for non-crossbite patients. However, CBCT scans may be diagnostically beneficial for crossbite patients. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed to determine the validity of this study.