Visibility of lamina dura and periodontal space on periapical radiographs and its comparison with cone beam computed tomography

OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively evaluate the subjective quality of images of cone beam computed tomography and compare with periapical radiographs (PR) to determine whether lamina dura (LD) and periodontal ligament (PDL) space can be detected and reported. STUDY DESIGN: Sixty scans for anterior and posterior teeth with PR were included and scored on four point subjective scale. Scores assessed using Wilcoxon Signed rank test with the level of statistical significance P < 0.05. RESULTS: Maximum number of ties for LD in anteriors was seen in coronal section (16) and in posteriors with sagittal section (17). Assessing PDL space in anteriors, high number of ties was seen with coronal section (25) and sagittal section (21), while for posteriors showed a high number of ties in all sections. CONCLUSIONS: LD could be observed and reported in coronal section for anteriors and in sagittal section for posteriors and PDL space in all the sections for both anteriors and posteriors.