For NewTom’s 30th anniversary, developers, radiologists and CBCT users met in Imola. In my lecture “Beyond the Tooth” I showed what cone-beam computed tomography achieves in veterinary dentistry and oral surgery today – and why veterinary medicine is no side issue for the further development of this technology.
What two-dimensional radiography hides
Oral disease is among the most common diagnoses in dogs and cats; in a US study of more than 46,000 animals, dental calculus and gingivitis ranked first1. In rabbits and other small mammals, dental disease is one of the most frequent reasons for presentation.
Yet root apices and cheek teeth cannot be assessed reliably by inspection or on conventional dental radiographs. A recent study from Davis compared CBCT and intraoral radiography in 46 teeth from 16 dogs: CBCT detected periapical lucency significantly more often (p < 0.001)2. In the lecture I showed this with my own cases – a slice series through the root at one-millimetre intervals, in which the inflammation behind the apex becomes visible that is missing on the film.
Measuring instead of estimating
After root canal treatment, a two-dimensional radiograph can usually only say: “no evidence of failure”. With CBCT the lucency can be measured and bone density compared over time. If the lesion becomes smaller and denser, healing is documented – in a way owners, referring colleagues and reviewers can follow.
Rabbits without anaesthesia
A rabbit with a jaw abscess was scanned awake, simply wrapped in a towel, in under a minute. At 0.15 mm resolution, root apices, resorption and abscess can be clearly assessed in a jaw the size of a thumb. The structured report with a Triadan dental chart was produced with AI assistance in minutes; I still read and sign it myself. An awake scan does not work in every animal – stressed or dyspnoeic patients are still sedated.
From image to implant
The same dataset that makes the diagnosis now serves as a blueprint: segment, plan virtually, print patient-specifically. Our own work at Vetmeduni Vienna examined this biomechanically. On 3D-printed models of a canine mandible with a 30 mm defect, the plate created by generative design reached 2.8 to 3.6 times the ultimate strength of the comparison designs3. These are laboratory data on polymer models, not clinical results – but they show where the field is heading.
Why this matters to manufacturers
From a 40-gram rabbit skull to the mandible of a 70-kg mastiff: no other field asks as much range of a CBCT unit as veterinary medicine. My message to the engineers in Imola: veterinary medicine is not downstream – it is a test bench for the entire chain from acquisition to implant.
Many dental problems cannot be seen from the outside or on a normal radiograph. A 3D scan shows what is really there and allows targeted treatment. In rabbits and guinea pigs the examination is often possible even without anaesthesia.
Dr. Matthias C. Eberspächer-Schweda, Dipl. AVDC, Dipl. EVDC
References
- Lund EM, Armstrong PJ, Kirk CA, Kolar LM, Klausner JS. Health status and population characteristics of dogs and cats examined at private veterinary practices in the United States. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1999;214:1336–1341. PMID 10319174
- Bonacini S, Goldschmidt S, Arzi B, et al. Evaluating cone-beam computed tomography vs. intraoral radiography for the detection of endodontal disease in dogs: diagnostic performance and inter-rater agreement. Front Vet Sci 2026;13:1893094. PMID 42620618 · doi:10.3389/fvets.2026.1893094
- Baumgartner D, Schramel JP, Kau S, Unger E, Oberoi G, Peham C, Eberspächer-Schweda M. 3D printed plates based on generative design biomechanically outperform manual digital fitting and conventional systems printed in photopolymers in bridging mandibular bone defects of critical size in dogs. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1165689. PMID 37065217 · doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1165689