Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
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J. Bone Miner. Res. · Dec 1993
ReviewOral imaging as a diagnostic tool for assessing osseous changes.
Practical use of images for diagnosis of osseous abnormalities presumes cost-effective technology that targets known physiologic processes. The most obvious modalities for such applications are radiographic, and the newest are characterized by quantitative methods expressed both tomographically and by means of digital subtraction registered in two and three dimensions. Quantitative nuclear medicine and possibly electron spin resonance spectroscopy also appear promising. New analytic techniques for interpreting osseous images include characterization of trabecular patterns by fractal descriptors and micromorphometry.
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The primary role of radiographic imaging in dental health has been the detection and localization of disease as a guide for surgical intervention. In this role, it appears to differ from the primary role of postcranial skeletal radiography, evaluation of the structural integrity of the bone. ⋯ This structure-function relationship can be used as a framework within which the potential of new technologies developed for evaluation of the postcranial skeleton can be assessed relative to craniofacial imaging. Within this context, I treat first the use of newer imaging modalities, followed by methods to assess bone properties, and finally the coupling of these technologies with other analytic tools to obtain direct information about the structure-function relationship in the cranioskeleton.