Abstract

RAJBARAN SINGH, S  and  GUTTA, AA. A Review of the role of Nuclear Medicine Imaging in Diagnostic Dentistry. S. Afr. dent. j. [online]. 2021, vol.76, n.10, pp.624-631. ISSN 0375-1562.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2519-0105/2021/v76no10a7.

The increasing scope of nuclear medicine imaging as a diagnostic utility is impressive. Plain film radiographs, computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnostically provide high-quality images but provide little physiological information about disease processes. Nuclear medicine imaging modalities advantageously can characterise the early dynamic physiological changes in a diseased environment. Dental professionals working within the arena of integrated holistic health practices are likely to encounter patients having had procedures like conventional scintigraphy, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), hybrid SPECT/CT and positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET/CT). The aim of this review is to acquaint the oral health care professional with some commonly utilised nuclear medicine techniques, the principles upon which such modalities are based and their applications in the diagnosis of head and neck pathology to facilitate enhanced multidisciplinary patient management.

Keywords : Nuclear medicine; Dentistry; Head and neck; Positron emission tomography (PET); Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT); Bone scintigraphy; Lymphoscintigraphy; Hybrid imaging.

        · text in English     · English ( pdf )