Dental MRI. Phantom study and clinical results

: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used as a diagnostic tool for special indications in oral and maxillofacial surgery. We describe a new MRI technique that presents images in a panoramic view analogous to orthopantomography. This technique is based on three-dimensional T1- and T2-weighted sequences. The familiar panoramic view in MRI provides better orientation and makes diagnosis faster and easier. However, the acquisition time is long (6-12 min per sequence), with a correspondingly high risk of motion artifacts. Moreover, the final workup is also time-consuming. These restrictions could be overcome by progress in hardware and software. There are promising indications for dental MRI.