CBCT for Endo Calculator

This calculator produces a weighted justification score for ordering cone-beam CT (CBCT) in an endodontic case, combining four factors that endodontic imaging guidance commonly cites as reasons CBCT adds diagnostic value over periapical radiographs: canal anatomy complexity, periapical pathology severity (PAI score), whether the case is a retreatment, and whether there is a history of dental trauma. Canal complexity carries the largest weight in the score because complex, multi-canal, or anomalous root anatomy is the scenario where 2D periapical radiographs are most likely to miss or misrepresent canal systems that a 3D scan would reveal. Retreatment cases and prior trauma each add a fixed weight on top of the anatomy/pathology scoring, reflecting that both scenarios often carry diagnostic uncertainty (a missed canal, an undetected root fracture, root resorption) that CBCT is well suited to resolve.

The score maps to a recommendation level and a suggested field-of-view size, favoring the smallest FOV that captures the relevant anatomy to minimize radiation dose. This tool is a structured decision aid built from generally cited CBCT-use indications, not a reproduction of any single published scoring instrument or a substitute for radiologic justification-and-optimization judgment — the ALARA principle (dose as low as reasonably achievable) and your jurisdiction's imaging-justification requirements always govern the final decision to order CBCT.