Effect of field of view in the detection of chemically created peri-implant bone defects in bovine ribs using cone beam computed tomography: an in vitro study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the accuracy of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) using two fields of view (FOVs) in the diagnosis of peri-implant defects. STUDY DESIGN: Eighty implants were placed in bovine ribs, in which peri-implant bone defects of two sizes (T1 and T2) were simulated using 70% perchloric acid. CBCT images were acquired with the use of two FOV size settings of the i-CAT NG unit: 6 x 16 cm and 8 x 8 cm. One oral and maxillofacial surgeon (OMS) and two oral and maxillofacial radiologists (OMRs) evaluated the presence of defects, and their findings were compared with direct visual evaluation. The kappa (kappa)-statistic, area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the examinations were calculated. AUC values were compared with the Student t test. RESULTS: The obtained kappa-values indicated good intra- and interobserver agreement. A significant difference was found between T1 and T2 (P = .01) with regard to AUC values, and no significant difference was found between the different FOVs in both test groups (T1, P = .06; T2, P = .33). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the examinations were higher for the OMRs than for the OMS involved in the study. CONCLUSIONS: The ability of CBCT to detect chemically created peri-implant bone defects was good, especially for larger defects (Group T2) but only for the observations of the OMRs. The observations of the OMS were less accurate. The two FOVs tested were appropriate to detect peri-implant bone defects.