Cone beam computed tomography – Frequency and exposure settings at University (Dental) hospitals in Central and Northern Europe

Purpose: To investigate the frequency of CBCT scans, the exposure settings, volume sizes and the patient demographics (age and sex) of patients undergoing CBCT scans in university-based dental hospitals in different European countries over a one-year period. Method: Eight University Dental Hospitals from eight countries in central and northern Europe agreed to collect data from their CBCT-databases. Exposure data including field of view (FOV), dose area product (DAP) and optimization settings plus (anonymous) age and sex of the patients were collected for the entire year 2023. In addition, centre- and healthcare-system- related characteristics were assembled. Data were statistically evaluated using R Statistical Software. Results: A total of 7320 CBCT-scans from eight centres and eight different CBCT-machines were evaluated. DAPs ranged between 34 and 4390 mGycm² (mean: 700.8 mGycm²), kV between 60 kV and 120 kV. Patient age (range 4 yrs to 97 yrs) differed significantly between the centres, yet with a cumulative peak between 10 and 20 yrs. Optimization protocols were observed for all centres, depending on their centre- and also healthcare-characteristics. 21 % of the scans applied some sort of special dose reduction means. Conclusions: The overall age-peak between 10 and 20 yrs highlights the need to optimized maxillofacial CBCT-protocols. The differences between the centres seem to be mainly related to healthcare-system and centre-related characteristics, which differ largely between the eight centres.