Artifacts Caused by Orthodontic Appliances on Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Awareness and Knowledge Level of Maxillofacial Radiologists and Orthodontists

Abstract

Objective: Artifacts caused by orthodontic appliances on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can affect the image quality and make diagnosis difficult. The debate is ongoing on whether orthodontic appliances should be removed to eliminate these problems. This study aimed to evaluate the awareness and knowledge level of dentists working in maxillofacial radiology and orthodontics about this subject through a questionnaire. Methods: The questionnaire consisted of 20 items and four parts: A) Personal information, B) Awareness level about the artifacts and complications caused by orthodontic appliances on MRI, C) Knowledge level about the factors related to artifacts and complications caused by orthodontic appliances on MRI, and D) Preventive approaches. The questionnaire was prepared on Google Forms and sent to potential participants via e-mail. The Chi-square (χ2) test was used for the statistical analysis of the variables. Results: Most participants were aware of the artifacts caused by orthodontic appliances on MRI (90.8%) (93.5% of maxillofacial radiologists and 88.5% of orthodontists) and thought that material type influenced the artifact formation (98.1%) (100% of maxillofacial radiologists and 96.3% of orthodontists). The percentage of participants with 1-5 years of experience who were aware of artifacts was less than those with more experience (p = .033). The percentage of orthodontists who referred patients for orthodontic appliance removal was higher than maxillofacial radiologists who requested the orthodontic appliance removal (93.5%>15%). Conclusion: Simultaneously increasing demands for both orthodontic treatment and MRI in the society cause concerns about the MRI image quality due to artifacts on images of the head and neck region. The main output of this study is that dentists working in orthodontics and maxillofacial radiology have a high awareness and knowledge about the artifacts and complications caused by orthodontic appliances on MRI.