Insight in to the Awareness of CBCT as an Imaging Modality in the Diagnosis and Management of ENT Disorders: A Cross Sectional Study

The advent of Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), has revolutionized 3D imaging in dentistry. CBCT has enormous potential to be used as an alternative imaging modality by Otolaryngologists. But their knowledge regarding CBCT is limited. The study aims to evaluate the awareness of CBCT as an imaging modality among Ear, nose and Throat (ENT) practitioners. The validated questionnaire was sent by email and the participants were asked to fill the google form through the link provided to record the responses. The participants were asked to answer 25 multiple choice questions regarding the general information and practice related to CBCT imaging. Data was evaluated according to the descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test was used to determine the test of significance. The response rate for this study was 84.4%. The mean age of the participants was 44.9 +/- 11.3. 69% of the respondents were academicians,14.2% had exclusive clinical practice, and 16.8% had both clinical and academic exposure. Among the study population, 76.8% had never advised CBCT in their practice. Only 10.3% of the study participants were aware of the potential of CBCT in ENT disorders. The mean knowledge, attitude and practice scores were very low regarding the applications of CBCT. Most of the study participants advised CBCT for maxillofacial fractures (78.1%) and was statistically significantp < 0.05. The knowledge about various advantages and clinical applications of CBCT among Otolaryngologists is limited. However, continuing medical education and inclusion in the medical curriculum will increase the scope and awareness about CBCT among ENT fraternity.