Diagnostic Imaging in Implant Dentistry

Dental implants have revolutionized the field of dentistry. Its immense popularity and wide acceptance has led to a point, where it has become a part of routine treatment plan in oral rehabilitation. For the success of implants, a presurgical treatment planning is of utmost importance. To aid this, diagnostic imaging plays a vital role. There are various modalities of imaging which will aid in placing the implant in an appropriate location with relative ease and also get a predictable outcome. This article focuses on the various imaging modalities available currently and their clinical applications. Modalities described are intraoral radiography, cephalometric radiography, panoramic radiography, conventional tomography, computed tomography, cone-beam CT and magnetic resonance imaging. The final selection of one these imaging modalities are dependent on the operator choice based on the patients need.