Periapical Lucencies

Abstract

Teeth often are imaged during CT of the head, neck, and maxillofacial regions, even though these scans rarely are performed specifically to investigate tooth-related abnormalities. Periapical lucencies commonly are noted as “incidental” findings by the radiologist. Most of the time, periapical lucencies are related directly to apical periodontitis. In some cases, periodontitis can be linked to the patient's chief complaint, because it can be responsible for sinusitis, headache, extraosseous abscess formation, and osteomyelitis. Lucent lesions around the tooth root also can represent other odontogenic or non-odontogenic lesions. With an understanding of the differential diagnosis and underlying disease processes, the radiologist can play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of these lesions.