Knowledge and responsibility in CBCT practice among general and specialized Israeli dentists – a questionnaire based study

Background: The use of Cone-Beam-Computed-Tomography (CBCT) is rapidly increasing in dentistry. This study aimed to evaluate CBCT use among dentists across various fields and how it is affected by various measures. Methods: We sent an anonymous questionnaire to Israeli dentists, which assessed the clinical use (including requested output: cross-sectional-images (CSI), DICOM-files, interpretation report), knowledge, and medico-legal issues of CBCT imaging. Results: Our survey was distributed to dentists in conferences and via e-mails with a response rate of ~ 38% (387 dentists). Most were specialists, almost all of which (93%) utilize CBCT, primarily for implant planning (27%) and impacted third molars (24%). Regarding CBCT output preferences, 31%, 42%, and 9% of respondents requested CSI, CSI with DICOM files, and DICOM files, respectively. Only one-third of participants consistently review the entire scanned volume. Of these, 38% never request DICOM files, and only 36% always do. Most dentists (85.9%) reported encountering incidental findings within scans. The average knowledge test score was 68.1%, with correct answer correlating with younger ages and background CBCT training (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Less than half (41.7%) believed that referring clinicians should review scans, while 57.1% believed it should be reviewed by specialized radiologists. Most respondents (70.7%) expressed interest in CBCT continuing education courses. Conclusions: Different CBCT outputs are requested by dentists. Although aware of incidental findings, most dentists do not review the entire scanned volume. Better CBCT knowledge was presented by younger dentists. These findings emphasize the necessity for enhancing the knowledge and usage of this imaging modality.