BACKGROUND: Artifacts produced in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images by metallic restorations might lead to inaccurate diagnosis.
OBJECTIVES: This study assesses the efficacy of Blu-mousse and medium-body polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) in reducing CBCT artifacts produced by metallic restorations and orthodontic brackets in the presence or absence of the metal artifact reduction (MAR) tool.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four extracted teeth with multi-surface amalgam, full-coverage metal crown, zirconium inlay, and metal orthodontic bracket were used. The teeth were set in a dental stone model and an impression was taken as a replication template for Blu-mousse and PVS. The teeth were covered by each dental material and scanned using CBCT with or without the MAR. CBCT images were exported and analyzed quantitatively by assessing the mean of gray values, and their standard deviations (std dev) and ranges. Moreover, CBCT images were scored qualitatively by two radiologists.
RESULTS: The MAR tool enhanced image quality and reduced the artifacts as per the quantitative and qualitative analysis. Both Blu-mousse and PVS increased the mean gray values in the presence or absence of the MAR tool. Dental materials' effects on std dev and range of gray values were site-specific. Likewise, qualitative scoring demonstrated that CBCT artifacts were reduced by impression materials, particularly Blu-mousse in the absence of MAR tool. Furthermore, Blu-mousse had better effects in decreasing CBCT artifacts than PVS.
CONCLUSION: This study evidenced that prosthodontic materials (Blu-mousse and PVS) have artifact-reduction properties or might act separately as an artifact-reduction strategy in the absence of MAR tool.