Acquisition of super high-resolution computed tomography equipment for evaluating and measuring bone structures and dental bone in three-dimensional images in clinical research in dentistry

Abstract

This proposal is for the purchase of super highresolution computed tomography (CT) for dental purposes, to be linked to the new Clinical Research Center, being created at the USP School of Dentistry. The device is of the latest generation and is produced by a company that is unique in the world market. It will be the first device with such resolution to be imported into Brazil. This equipment was chosen due to its great versatility in different areas of dentistry; it combines the benefits of earlier generations of CT in the evaluation of large structures with the advantages of being able to evaluate specific areas (because of its higher resolution). This will extend the benefits of the device to smaller areas such as oral surgery, periodontics, pediatric dentistry, and cariology. The new device can also measure bone structure and dental structure. This device will be of benefit to ongoing projects, thereby increasing the possibility of publications in high-impact journals. In one project, the equipment will enable the quantitative evaluation, with analysis of bone density and repair after tooth extraction in patients with diabetes. In another project, the device will allow a more sensitive CT analysis of the effect that smoking cessation has on periodontal parameters and on bone loss around implants. In the field of orthodontics, the device will allow the assessment of the temporomandibular joint space in subjects with temporomandibular disorders to be compared with earlier-generation CT scans. Finally, the device will serve to validate, in vivo, caries in dentin, in a study that proposes to assess different methods of diagnosis in primary molars, show the association of certain parameters obtained from the volumetric CT scan, and determine if the CT scan shows some parameters associated with active caries in those teeth. Given this, and the possible use of the equipment requested in several areas within dentistry, advancing the research institution and other institutions in the country, the acquisition of this equipment is of great importance. (AU)