Comparison of Susceptibility Artifacts of Dental Materials in Magnetic Resonance Imaging According to Different Sequences

Magnetic susceptibility artifacts caused by dental materials may significantly degrade magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) quality and hinder accurate diagnostic interpretation. This study aimed to compare the extent of artifacts produced by commonly used dental materials with different magnetic properties across multiple MRI sequences. Human cadaveric dry jawbones were used to construct a phantom containing eight dental materials representing ferromagnetic, paramagnetic, and diamagnetic characteristics. Imaging was performed using a 3T MRI system with T1-weighted and T2-weighted Turbo Spin Echo sequences and their corresponding View Angle Tilting (VAT) modifications. Artifact areas were quantitatively assessed on standardized coronal slices by manually delineating regions encompassing both signal void and hyperintense distortion zones surrounding each material. Statistical analysis was conducted using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey post hoc tests, with significance set at p < 0.05. Ferromagnetic materials generated the largest artifacts and caused marked anatomical distortion, whereas paramagnetic materials also produced substantial artifacts, particularly around implant abutments. Diamagnetic materials exhibited minimal or negligible artifact formation. T2-weighted sequences demonstrated greater susceptibility to artifacts compared with T1-weighted sequences. The VAT technique reduced artifact size but did not fully eliminate distortion. Overall, artifact severity was strongly dependent on the magnetic properties of dental materials and the imaging sequence used. Although VAT improved image quality, advanced metal artifact reduction techniques such as Slice Encoding for Metal Artifact Correction (SEMAC) may provide further benefits in clinical imaging of patients with dental restorations.