Constructing a Panoramic Radiograph Image Based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data

Panoramic radiograph images are one of the basic examinations used during dental and orthodontic treatment. Their creation is based on ionizing radiation, to which the patient is therefore exposed. The adverse effects of this radiation on the patient’s health is a topic that has been increasingly raised in numerous publications and journals. Therefore, the motivation for this study was to develop a mechanism that reconstructs panoramic radiograph images from MRI data, which is a harmless method. To achieve this, an algorithm described in a previous article is used to create a three-dimensional bone and skin tissue model from MRI data derived from T1-weighted and T2-weighted sequences. Subsequently, the craniofacial part of this model is projected onto a plane to form a panoramic radiograph-like image. Different approaches to model projection are presented. Despite the noise which comes from the high degree of interpolation in the model used, the generated results are the first step in the generation of panoramic craniofacial images without the use of ionizing radiation.