Diagnostic thinking and therapeutic decision confidence after Cone

Diagnostic thinking and therapeutic decision confidence after Cone Beam Computed Tomography in endodontics measured by a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) Mota de Almeida FJ 1, 2, Knutsson K 3, Flygare L 4 1 Norrbotten’s County Council, Luleå, Sweden; 2 Uppsala’s County Council, Uppsala, Sweden; 3 Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden; 4 UmeåUniversity, Umeå, Sweden Contact: fernando. mota-de-almeida@nll. se; ++46 - 920 - 719 74; Aim: to determine if Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) used in accordance with the European Commission guidelines has an impact on the diagnostic thinking confidence and therapeutic decision confidence in a population referred for endodontic problems Methods and Results: Results Patients with endodontic problems (n=1459) Most patients don’t need CBCT >95% n=53 patients + 4 excluded Teeth with COMPLEX endodontic problems (n= 81 teeth) Very confident Diagnosis Therapeutic decision Ex. : K 04. 5 Ex. : WAIT ? ? Before: 67 mm Before: 63 mm Mean: 63 mm (SD 30) Mean: 67 mm (SD 25) Not confident Confidence measured on VAS (100 mm) before CBCT for diagnosis and therapeutic decision (mean values) CBCT Very confident Diagnosis Ex. : K 04. 5 ? After: 86 mm Therapeutic decision Ex. : +22 mm (SD 28) p<0. 01 +23 mm (SD 27) p<0. 01 Before: 67 mm Before: 63 mm Mean: 86 mm (SD 21) After: 89 mm Mean: 89 mm (SD 17) Not confident Confidence measured on VAS (100 mm) after CBCT for diagnosis and therapeutic decision (mean values) Conclusion: CBCT examination used in accordance with the European Commission guidelines increased the clinician’s confidence in both diagnostic thinking and therapeutic decision in a population with endodontic problems