Objective : To determine if the linear measurements made in Galileos CBCT in the presence of soft tissue using cadaver heads are accurate.
Materials and methods : CBCT images were obtained in Galileos CBCT device after placement of gutta percha markers, three to the facial and one to the lingual of the area of interest in the mandible. The CBCT orthoradial image showing perfect alignment of the lingual with a facial marker was selected as the plane of measurement. The distance between the most superior and most inferior point on the bone on the selected plane was measured electronically. The specimens were sectioned along this plane and physical measurements were obtained with digital calipers. Linear distance was measured between the most superior and most inferior point on the bone on the selected plane. This distance was measured in 6 specimens with calipers and compared to the distance measured on the corresponding CBCT images.
Results: A paired-sample t-test was used to determine whether the mean difference measurement value of two measurements at right side was significantly equal to zero. The data revealed that overall there was no statistically significant difference between CBCT and Physical measurement on right side (p=0.2298), left side (p=0.3554) and overall between CBCT and Physical measuremnets (p=0.2684).
Conclusions: Based on the statistical evaluation of the CBCT and Physical measurements it can be concluded that Galileos CBCT unit is reliable for evaluation of linear measurements between anatomic structures within the bone in the presence of soft tissues in the mandible specially for measuring height of available bone.