Confirmation of CBCT based preliminary diagnosis of jaw patholgies with histopathological analysis

Objective: The aim of this study is; to evaluate and compare the preliminary diagnosis of jaw bone pathologies obtained by CBCT and histopathological analysis. Materials and Method: In this study; patients with lytic pathological lesions were evaluated by CBCT. Initial working diagnosis was noted, to compare with histopathological diagnosis. Results: Fifty lesions in the jaw bones of 50 patients were noted. There were 41 bone cysts, 9 tumors and tumor-like lesions and bone related pathologies. Radicular cyst was the most common lesion. In 14 (28%) of the cases; preliminary and histopathological diagnosis did not match. According to the statistical analysis, there was no statistically significant difference between the type of pathology and the localization (mandible/maxilla-anterior/posterior). (p> .05) Conclusion: CBCT is a commonly utilised tool in the diagnosis, treatment and review process of pathological lesions of the jaws. CBCT is imperative for 3D evaluation and treatment planning, however the necessity of histopathological analysis for a correct diagnosis should not be overlooked. Keywords: dental volumetric tomography; pathological lesions of the jaw bones; cyst