The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here has started Cone Beam CT (CBCT) scan facility that will give dental surgeons a 3D image of the patient's jaw before the actual surgery is performed, leading to better treatment outcome.

First among all the AIIMS branches in the country, the new technology will create a virtual patient and perform advance jaw surgery on 3D models on computer screens before the dental surgeons actually perform the surgery in the operation theatre."This advanced and unique facility will help in better treatment outcome and prediction before the surgery is actually undertaken. It will equip the experts in orthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgeons and dental implantologists to plan surgery and implants in 3D," O.P. Kharbanda, chief of Center for Dental Education and Research (CEDR), said.

According to Kharbanda, a global expert on Orthodontics and Dentofacial Deformities, the treatment will also help in planning for dental implants, providing prosthesis for patients who have lost part of their face due to cancer or trauma and also for orthognatic surgery planning in patients having cranio-facial deformities, syndromes and cleft lip and palate."Such tools are very effective in educating the patient about the expectations from a treatment -- be an implant, orthodontic treatment or replacement of a facial part," said Kharbanda. 

"Installation of CBCT facility will help the doctors in more accurate diagnosis of various pathologies in head and neck region. CBCT is a technology in which three-dimensional view of skull and facial bones and soft tissues can be seen with minimal radiation," he added.The CBCT scanner rotates around the patient's head, obtaining up to nearly 600 distinct images. For interventional radiology, the patient is positioned offset to the table so that the region of interest is centered in the field of view of the cone beam.

A single 200-degree rotation over the region of interest acquires a volumetric data set. The scanning software collects the data and reconstructs it, producing what is termed a digital volume composed of three-dimensional voxels of anatomical data that can then be manipulated and visualised with specialised software.While the charges of such procedures at a private hospital continue to be very high, making it unaffordable for poor patients, at AIIMS the facility will be provided for little over Rs 1,000.The facility was inaugurated by AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria on Wednesday.

Apart from the CBCT facility, the dental centre has also started an oral histo-pathology laboratory which will emphasise on early diagnosis of pre-cancerous conditions of the oral cavity."It will also have teaching facility and advance facilities like immuno histo-chemistry, immuno-fluoroscence, etc., for accurate diagnosis of oral conditions," said the CEDR in a statement.