Cone-beam computed tomography artifacts in the presence of dental implants and associated factors: an integrative review

Purpose: This study was conducted to review the literature regarding the types of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) artifacts around dental implants and the factors that influence their formation.

Materials and methods: A search strategy was carried out in the PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases to identify published between 2010 and 2020, and 9 studies were selected. The implants included 306 titanium, titanium-zirconium, and zirconia implants, as well as 5 titanium cylinders.

Results: The artifacts around the implants were the beam-hardening artifact, the streaking artifact, and band-like radiolucent areas. Some factors that influenced the formation of artifacts were the implant material, bone type, evaluated regions, distance, type of CBCT, field of view (FOV) size, milliamperage, peak kilovoltage (kVp), and voxel size. The beam-hardening artifact was the most widely reported, and it was minimized in protocols with a smaller FOV, larger voxels, and higher kVp.

Conclusion: The risk and benefit of these protocols in individuals with dental implants must be considered, and clinical examinations and complementary radiographs play an essential role in implantology.