Who knew the Beatles provided funding for the early models of CAT scans?
For more on this topic, go to www.dentaleconomics.com and search using the following key words: computerized axial tomography, CAT scanners, Cone Beam Computerized Tomography, Hounsfield units, orthogonal reconstruction. Computerized scanning technology has been in use for over 30 years. Originally, it was called Computerized Axial Tomography or CAT. Hospital-based CAT scanners were radiation intensive, supine gantry-style units which required large suites in radiology centers. The computer itself would take the space of an entire room. Except for the occasional trauma or involved pathology patient, dentists really did not utilize CAT scan technology. Today, with advances in miniaturization and computer software and a revolution in imaging, CAT scan technology has moved from the hospital to the private dental office. The goal of this article is to provide dental personnel with an overview of the science and terminology used in Cone Beam Computerized Tomography (CBCT). The clinician wil
