# Ten Years of Micro-CT in Density and Maxillofacial Surgery: A Literature Overview
## 3 Micro-CT Studies: In Vitro and In/Ex Vivo Applications
### Dental Treatments and Mineral Tissues  
Restorative treatments in dentistry to ensure the integrity of the teeth and of their supporting tissues benefit of micro-CT imaging. In particular, benefits are reported for: the analysis of molars morphology and tooth structure [63]; the positional relationship of the crown contour and the pulp chamber of first molars [64]; and the efficacy of polishing and glass infiltration on the wear behavior of monolithic zirconia crowns [65]. Dental caries is characterized by demineralization and the degeneration of organic matrix [66]. Micro-CT analysis resulted helpful to evaluate the validation of temporary and innovative restoration solutions [67]. The mineralization of carious enamel for the identification of a regenerative treatment solution for dental caries [68], as well as the demineralization of tissues, as the enamel adjacent to restoration margins in cavities filled with experimental composites, from extracted bovine incisors [69], are some of the aspects that were investigated. Furthermore, there were assessed:  
* the marginal integrity and quality of composite fillings [70]. * the effects, in adhesive dentistry, of different drying methods for post space dentin bonding in a direct resin composite core build-up method [71]. * the effectiveness of two resins [72]. The analysis of the accuracy of enamel and dentin thickness [73] as well as of teeth dimensions [74] benefits of micro-CT 3D measurements. It was applied to observe human molars characteristics before performing the micro tensile test [75]. A case study reports that the analysis of extracted teeth in children allowed the early correct diagnosis [76]. The capability of micro-CT to acquire morphometric information of structures resulted in being relevant for the detection of significant differences in mandibular volumes and dental morphology in relation to a specific syndrome [77]. Moreover, clinical consequences of genetic disorders that affect ossification, and consequently dental anomalies, resulted in being diagnosable by microtomographic assessment [78; 79]. One of the main limitations of current dental practice is to preserve in time the effect of treatments. The treatment of root canal characterized by the loss of apical root material is a clinical issue, extensively investigated in the literature. The effects of treatments are commonly assessed by micro-CT to quantitatively evaluate the root surface resorption after the extraction of the teeth. It was used in a study aimed to design and realize a method for analyzing the geometrical characteristics of human root canals, calculated by a self-implemented image evaluation algorithm [80]. It was applied to evaluate morphology [81; 82; 83], microcrack formations [84; 85], root fractures [86], the presence of voids in oval root canals filled with different root canal sealers [87]. It was considered to assess the efficacy of methods for removing root filling materials or for cleaning the canal [88; 89], the influence of endodontic cavities on the preservation of the original root canal anatomy after shaping with nickel-titanium rotary instruments [90], and the correlation between geometric parameters of root filled teeth and the fracture resistance [91]. Multiple sensations were elaborated preoperatively, after preparation and obturation of the canal with gutta-percha, on extracted mandibular first molar teeth, to compare the quality of obturation in the apical third of the root [92]. Furthermore, photobiomodulation applications on root resorption are reported, considering a study on 30 patients [93]. The various applications of the current dental practice including the use of the micro-CT, let emerge the importance to define procedures for performing microtomographic analysis at least for specific treatments.