Mapping the expression of beam hardening artefacts produced by metal posts positioned in different regions of the dental arch

Objectives To objectively assess the expression and direction of artefacts in the vicinity of metal posts positioned in different mandibular regions. Materials and methods A human mandible had two sockets prepared—anterior and posterior regions—to accommodate a single-rooted tooth. Two CBCT units, Picasso Trio and OP300, were used. CBCT images of the tooth without metal post, and with silver-palladium, nickel-chromium, or cobalt-chromium posts (experimental groups) were individually acquired. Then, 8 lines of interest (LOIs) were determined around the root canal, in an axial reconstruction: 4 in orthogonal (buccal, lingual, mesial, and distal) directions, and 4 in oblique (mesiobuccal, distobuccal, mesiolingual, and distolingual) directions. The mean of gray values was measured for each LOI. Results For the OP300, in general, all experimental groups showed greater expression of hyperdense streaks in orthogonal LOIs and greater expression of hypodense streaks in oblique LOIs. For the Picasso Trio, for both mandibular regions, the buccal LOI showed greater expression of hypodense streaks; conversely, greater expression of hyperdense streaks was observed in the distal and distobuccal LOIs in the anterior region and in the mesiolingual LOI in the posterior region. The silver-palladium group showed significantly greater expression of beam hardening artefacts in the posterior region of the mandible, regardless of the CBCT unit ( p < 0.05). The mandibular posterior region showed significantly lower gray values than the anterior region ( p < 0.05). Conclusion The expression and direction of artefacts produced in the vicinity of metal posts vary according to the mandibular region, composition of the post, and CBCT unit. Clinical relevance The mapping of artefacts produced by metal posts reveals the root regions with greater expression of hypodense and hyperdense artefacts, which may contribute to recognizing regions more likely to mimic or hide root fracture lines.