The maxillofacial region includes the dentofacial apparatus, including the lower and upper jaws, teeth and the entire complex of parotid tissues, called a parodontium. The parodontium consists of the periodontal membrane - the periodontium, the alveole, and the circular ligament. Besides, the maxillofacial region includes the oral cavity with soft tissues surrounding it, the upper part of the neck with three pairs of the salivary glands: the sublingual, submandibular and parotic and temporomandibular joints.
18.1. METHODS OF DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY
The main method of diagnostic radiology of diseases and injuries of the maxil-lofacial region in dentistry remains the radiological method. Intraoral and extraoral radiographs are the most commonly used, depending on the location of the X-ray film in relation to the teeth, panoramic tomography (orthopantomography), radiograph of the jaws, X-ray and tomography of the temporomandibular joints, an X-ray of the bones of the nose, as well as sialography are performed.
Complementary methods in the study of diseases and injuries of the maxillofacial region are CT, MRI and ultrasound.
18.1.1. Radiological methods
X-ray of teeth
X-ray images of teeth are divided into intraoral and extraoral. In turn, intraoral divided into contact (Fig. 18.1) and "bite". Contact images give a clearer image, but unlike "bite" images, they do not always allow to receive an image of the perialveolar zone. Extraoral images are used mainly in the study of buccal teeth of the lower jaw. On X-ray images, the surfaces and necks of the teeth, alveolar edges and interdental septa are well visualized. A compulsory condition for the high quality of the image is the direction of the central beam of radiation perpendicular to the angle bisector formed by the axis of the tooth and the plane of the X-ray film through its top.