Maxillofacial / Orthodontic and Restorative dental team welcomes cutting-edge dental imaging scanner | News

Royal Surrey patients who need complex dental imaging as part of their treatment will now benefit from the addition of a specialist new scanner in Outpatients 11.

Thanks to our Radiology team, the department has acquired a Cone Beam CT (CBCT) scanner that uses X-rays and a computer to produce 3D cross sections of jaws and teeth.

Surgical, oncology and orthodontic patients and those who need dental implants will benefit in several ways thanks to the cutting-edge dental imaging provided by the scanner.

Kimberley Shipway, Radiology Transformation Manager, said: “The plan to acquire the scanner has been in the pipeline for a few years, but was put on hold because of Covid.

“As a specialist centre, the lack of a CBCT scanner on site limited us to the views and service we were able to provide to our patients. Now our consultants are able to work closely with the dental radiographers to ensure that patients are receiving the exact images required for their treatment.

“The improved technology of the new scanner means a reduction in radiation dose to the patients. It also means that patients face less waiting time for a scan and fewer repeat visits for reports or image feedback.

“The imaging gives a clearer view of what we need to see, from a single tooth to a full image of the face, so that detailed surgical planning is easier to do.”

Patients who would previously have needed a referral to another hospitafor the specialist imaging part of their treatment can now have this done at Royal Surrey as part of their appointment.

Each month around 50 of the team’s patients are set to benefit from the use of the new scanner, which is one of just a few available at NHS hospitals in the South East region.