OBJECTIVE: Metallic compounds present in the oral and maxillofacial regions (OMR) cause large artifacts during MR scanning. We quantitatively assessed these artifacts embedded within a phantom according to standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven metallic dental materials (each of which was a 10mm3 cube embedded within a phantom) were scanned (i.e. Al, Ag, Au, Au-Pd-Ag, Ti, NC and CC) and compared to a reference image. Sequences included GRE, FSE, GRASS, SPGR, FSPGR, FIESTA and EPI (axial/sagittal planes). Artifact areas were determined according to the ASTM-F2119 standard and artifact volumes were assessed using OsiriX MD software Results: Tukey-Kramer post-hoc tests were used for statistical comparisons. For most materials, scanning sequences eliciting artifact volumes in the following (ascending) order FSE-T1/FSE-T2 < FSPGR/SPGR < GRASS/GRE < FIESTA < EPI. For all scanning sequences, artifact volumes containing Au, Al, Ag and Au-Pd-Ag, were significantly smaller than other materials (in which artifact volumes size increased respectively from Ti < NC < CC). The artifacts specific shape (elicited by the cubic sample) depended on the scanning plane (i.e. a circular pattern for axial plane and a "clover-like" pattern for sagittal plane).

CONCLUSION: The availability of standardized information on artifact size and configuration during MR imaging will enhance diagnosis when faced with metallic compounds in the OMR.