Cone Beam Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Chronic Apical Periodontitis and Clinical Decisions: A Review

A major paraclinical diagnostic method for the early and late follow-up of the healing process in chronic periapical lesions is the two-dimensional radiographic technique. About 32% of the periapical lesions are detected during a routine radiographic examination of neighboring teeth. Most of the periapical lesions are classified as granulomas, cysts and abscesses. The radiographic images of these lesions are identical and therefore, cannot support an accurate diagnosis, despite the existing clear border between the lesion and the healthy bone, which could be a sign of a cystic lesion. Recent trends in minimally invasive conservative treatment of teeth with inexact endodontic treatment or periapical lesions eliminate this invasive diagnostic method and replace it with the non-invasive reconstructive cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).