Anatomy of the jaw revisited with a dental CT software program.

Abstract

The jaw has traditionally been evaluated by dentists and oral surgeons using conventional panoramic and intraoral films. Recently, CT software programs specifically developed to evaluate dental implant patients have provided radiologists with a new look at the mandible and maxilla. The anatomy seen on these reformatted panoramic and cross-sectional images is complex, and our objective is to define it. By the use of standard anatomic drawings, mandibular and maxillary anatomy was identified on human skulls and then on the axial, cross-sectional, and panoramic DentaScan images of these skulls. With this anatomic description, the DentaScans from several representative patients were then used to portray mandibular and maxillary anatomy in a pictorial fashion.