Influence of metal dental materials on MR imaging

Differences in magnetic susceptibility produce artifacts and signal loss in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study was undertaken to compare the degree of artifacts on MRI caused by metallic dental materials. The influence on MRI of six types of dental alloys, a dental implant, orthodontic appliance, and magnetic attachment was investigated. Among the dental metals, nickel-chromium alloy and cobalt-chromium alloy, which have ferromagnetism, caused significant metal artifacts. Gold-platinum alloy, gold-silver-palladium alloy, silver alloy, and amalgam alloy produced slight metal artifacts. The orthodontic appliance mainly consisted of iron, and the keeper for its magnetic attachment was made of stainless steel. For these reasons, marked metal artifacts and signal loss could be seen in both of them owing to their ferromagnetism. These results suggest that orthodontic appliances and magnetic attachments impair evaluation of the GRE and EPI techniques. It is therefore preferable to use predominantly diamagnetic or paramagnetic dental materials for MRI of the head and neck. Removable keepers should be used more widely to prevent metal artifacts and enhance safety on MRI. (author)