Estimation of the effective dose of dental cone-beam computed tomography using personal computer-based Monte Carlo software.

Purpose: To calculate the effective doses of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) using personal computer-based Monte Carlo (PCXMC) software (Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Helsinki, Finland) and to compare the calculated effective doses with those measured using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and an anthropomorphic phantom.

Materials and Methods: An Alphard VEGA CBCT scanner (Asahi Roentgen Ind. Co., Kyoto, Japan) with multiple fields of view (FOVs) was used for this study. The effective doses of the scout and main projections of CBCT using 1 large and 2 medium FOVs with a height >10 cm were calculated using PCXMC and PCXMCRotation software and then were compared with the doses obtained using TLD-100 LiF and an anthropomorphic adult human male phantom. Furthermore, it was described how to determine the reference points on the Y- and Z-axes in PCXMC, the important dose-determining factors in this software.

Results: The effective doses at CBCT for 1 large (20.0 cm×17.9 cm) and 2 medium FOVs (15.4 cm×15.4 cm and 10.2 cm×10.2 cm) calculated by the PCXMC software were 181, 300, and 158 µSv, respectively. These values were comparable (16%-18% smaller) to those obtained through TLD measurements in each mode.

Conclusion: The use of PCXMC software could be an alternative to the TLD measurement method for effective dose estimation in CBCT with large and medium FOVs.