Dental MRI-only a future vision or standard of care? A literature review on current indications and applications of MRI in dentistry

Abstract

MRI is increasingly used as a diagnostic tool for visualising the dentoalveolar complex. A comprehensive review of the current indications and applications of MRI in the dental specialities of orthodontics (I), endodontics (II), prosthodontics (III), periodontics (IV), and oral surgery (V), pediatric dentistry (VI), operative dentistry is still missing and is therefore provided by the present work.The current literature on dental MRI shows that it is used for cephalometry in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics, detection of dental pulp inflammation, characterisation of periapical and marginal periodontal pathologies of teeth, caries detection, and identification of the inferior alveolar nerve, impacted teeth and dentofacial anatomy for dental implant planning, respectively. Specific protocols regarding the miniature anatomy of the dentofacial complex, the presence of hard tissues, and foreign body restorations are used along with dedicated coils for the improved image quality of the facial skull.Dental MRI poses a clinically useful radiation-free imaging tool for visualising the dentoalveolar complex across dental specialities when respecting the indications and limitations.

Keywords: Dentistry; Diagnostic Imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Figure 1.

MRI of different indications in endodontics. (a) Horizontal fracture of tooth 21 with loss of MR signal in the necrotic pulp. (a) Apical tumor of tooth 33 with calcified central aspect and surrounding osteolysis. (c) Apical granuloma of tooth 16, accompanied by hyperplasia of the basal sinus membrane.

Figure 2.

Display of inferior alveolar nerve (white arrows) with Rami dentales (white triangles) in region 36.

Figure 3.

Dental implant planning based on MRI with transversal, tangential and axial cross-sections, panoramic reconstruction, and 3D rendering. Note the missing dental surfaces in the 3D image based on grey values that are reversed in comparison to CBCT. 3D, three-dimensional; CBCT, cone-beam CT.