Facial and Dental Imaging

It is a great honor that the editorial board of Seminars in Musculoskeletal Radiology entrusted me to act as guest editor of an issue dedicated to facial and dental imaging.

At first glance, this topic may seem unusual for publication in a journal dedicated to musculoskeletal (MSK) imaging. In the past, dental imaging was almost exclusively performed and interpreted by maxillofacial surgeons and dentists, and it was often neglected by many radiologists. But due to organizational reasons, quality assurance (e.g., use of high-quality machinery and highly trained staff), and optimization of financial resources, many institutions strive for centralization of imaging within the department of radiology.

Currently, high-end cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) equipment has been installed in many radiology departments and is used for a variety of clinical indications including head and neck imaging (sinus and petrous bone), MSK applications (trauma of small bones and joints, and CT arthrography), and also dental imaging.

Thus radiologists have to familiarize themselves with the anatomy and diseases involving the jaw bones and the teeth. Although the maxillofacial skeleton is an integral part of the MSK system, imaging of this area is often performed and interpreted either by general, head and neck (H/N), or MSK radiologists.

MSK radiologists are most often consulted for interpretation of trauma of the maxillofacial bones, temporomandibular joint imaging, and for assessing osseous diseases involving the maxillofacial bones, such as Paget's disease, fibrous dysplasia, other tumor- and tumorlike conditions, and hereditary bone diseases.

The first article in this issue focuses on clinical challenges for dentomaxillofacial CBCT by Wanderley et al. Image quality and artifacts may vary due to technical and patient-related factors and may also significantly differ among the many CBCT machines on the market. The authors emphasize that referring physicians should have a thorough knowledge of the merits and limitations of imaging and that the referral for CBCT should be oriented to the specific clinical indication and be patient specific.

The imaging anatomy and nomenclature of the jaw and dentition, basic technical principles, and clinical indications of CBCT are discussed by Dhont et al, followed by an article on dental implants by the same research group. The latter contribution by Bernaerts et al summarizes beautifully everything the radiologist should know on preoperative evaluation before implant placement, implant design on imaging, and finally imaging of implant complications.

Dental analysis also plays an important role in precise estimation of age, a topic further elaborated by De Tobel et al.

The next series of four articles focuses specifically on dental imaging: teeth impaction and structural abnormalities of the teeth (Haba et al) and tumor- and tumorlike conditions of the jawbones. The 2017 updated World Health Organization classification of odontogenic tumors is discussed by Siozopoulou, followed by a more encyclopedic imaging approach of the most common radiolucent lesions (Bali et al) and lesions of mixed and radiopaque density (Vanhoenacker et al) of the jaws.

Van de Voorde et al review the imaging features of sclerotic lesions of the craniofacial skeleton including Paget's disease, fibrous dysplasia, and other sclerosing bone diseases.

Facial and dental trauma is another critical topic in daily practice representing a common indication for imaging, and it is extensively discussed by De Foer et al.

The final article of this thematic issue by Salamon et al is dedicated to imaging of the temporomandibular joint.

I am particularly grateful that all the authors delivered concise and comprehensive manuscripts on their subjects, all of them beautifully illustrated with images of impeccable quality and high educational value. I congratulate them for their outstanding contribution to our journal.

Once again, I am very grateful to the editorial board for giving me the opportunity to edit this special issue.

We wish you fruitful reading, and we know this issue will contribute to a better understanding of dentomaxillofacial imaging and be of great value to the large community of general radiologists, MSK and H/N radiologists, dentists, and orofacial surgeons and anyone else involved in related sciences.

Publication History

Article published online:
09 October 2020