D0367 Dental Code: Cone Beam CT Billing (Both Jaws)

What D0367 covers

D0367 reports a cone beam CT scan whose field of view takes in both the upper and lower jaws, with or without the cranium, where the same provider captures the scan and interprets it. It covers the 3D acquisition, the reconstruction of the volume, the radiologic interpretation, and the report. One code, both halves of the work.

The defining feature is the field of view. CBCT codes are not separated by the machine, the reason for the scan, or the anatomy of interest. They’re separated by how much of the patient the scan volume covers. D0367 is the largest of the dental-arch field-of-view codes: both jaws in one volume.

The “with or without cranium” language matters less than it sounds. Whether the scan captures cranial structures doesn’t change the code. Jaw coverage changes the code. If the volume includes both arches, it’s D0367 regardless of how much skull came along with it.

The field-of-view family: where D0367 gets miscoded

This is the single most common error on CBCT coding, so it’s worth laying out the whole family at once. All four codes describe a captured-and-interpreted CBCT. The only variable is the field of view.

• D0364. Limited field of view, less than one whole jaw. A focused 3D view of a quadrant, a few teeth, or a single region.
• D0365. One full dental arch, the mandible (lower jaw).
• D0366. One full dental arch, the maxilla (upper jaw), with or without cranium.
• D0367. Both jaws, with or without cranium.

The progression is by coverage: a sub-arch region, one lower arch, one upper arch, both arches. Pick the code that matches the volume the scan actually captured, not the tooth you were interested in.

Capture and interpretation: when D0367 splits

D0367 bundles two pieces of work: capturing the image and interpreting it. That bundle holds when one provider does both, which is the common in-office case. When the two pieces are done by different providers, the code splits.

A frequent scenario: the dental office has the CBCT unit and takes the scan, but sends the reconstructed volume to an oral and maxillofacial radiologist to read. Now there are two procedures, two providers, two codes:

• The capturing office bills the image-capture-only code that matches the field of view. For both jaws, that’s D0383 (cone beam image capture, both jaws, with or without cranium). D0382 and D0384 are the capture-only codes for other field-of-view configurations.
• The reading radiologist bills D0391 (interpretation and report by a practitioner not associated with the capture).

D0367 versus 2D imaging

CBCT is a different procedure from conventional radiographs, and the codes don’t substitute for each other.

D0330 (panoramic) is a single 2D extraoral image of the jaws and surrounding structures. It’s a flat projection, useful for a broad survey, but it can’t give you the cross-sectional, true-dimension view that implant and surgical planning rely on.

D0210 (intraoral complete series) is a set of individual 2D intraoral films, detailed at the tooth level, with the receptor placed inside the mouth.

D0367 (CBCT, both jaws) is a 3D volume. It produces cross-sections and reconstructions you can measure in three dimensions, which is why it’s the imaging of choice for implant site assessment, impacted-tooth localization, and bony pathology.

One overlap trips people up. Many CBCT machines can generate a panoramic projection from the same scan data. When the panoramic comes out of the 3D acquisition rather than a separate exposure, billing D0330 on top of the CBCT for that single exposure is generally not supported. A separately taken panoramic, on its own machine or its own exposure, is a different story. Document which one happened.

Coverage reality: verify, and consider medical

CBCT coverage under dental plans is inconsistent. The patterns we see:

• Some plans cover CBCT only for recognized indications. Implant planning, impacted-tooth evaluation, pathology, and trauma are the usual ones. A narrative establishing why 3D imaging was necessary, when a 2D film wouldn’t answer the question, is often what gets the claim paid.
• Some plans apply tight frequency and field-of-view limits. A large-volume both-jaws scan may face more scrutiny than a limited field-of-view scan, on the theory that the smaller field should suffice for a focused question.
• Some plans don’t cover CBCT under the dental benefit at all. That’s a plan-design exclusion, not a coding error, and it’s a major reason these scans get routed to medical.

Medical crossover

A large share of CBCT scans are better billed to the patient’s medical plan than to dental. CBCT for surgical planning, pathology, trauma, or TMJ evaluation often meets medical-necessity criteria, and the medical allowable for 3D maxillofacial imaging sometimes beats what a limited dental imaging benefit pays.

Medical billing doesn’t use the CDT code. It uses a CPT code for the imaging and an ICD-10 diagnosis code establishing the medical indication, usually with documentation of why the scan was necessary. The right CPT depends on the scan and the plan, so verify the medical plan’s covered code and documentation requirements rather than assuming one. This is a different workflow from dental claims, and offices that don’t run medical billing generally bill dental only.

Practices with meaningful implant, surgical, or TMD volume often build the medical-crossover workflow specifically because CBCT is where it pays off. If your office bills dental only, the practical move is to verify the dental plan’s CBCT coverage before scanning, and to tell patients pursuing medical reimbursement that you can provide documentation but they’ll work the claim through their medical carrier.

Documentation that supports the claim

CBCT claims live and die on the narrative. The chart and the claim should capture:

• Why 3D was necessary. The clinical question that a 2D film (panoramic or intraoral) couldn’t answer. “Pre-surgical assessment of bone volume and proximity to the inferior alveolar canal for implant placement at sites #19 and #30” tells the carrier why a flat image wouldn’t do.
• The field of view captured. That the scan covered both arches, which is what supports D0367 over the single-arch or limited codes.
• Who captured and who interpreted. If the same provider did both, that supports D0367. If a radiologist read it, the file should show the split that justifies D0383 plus D0391.
• The interpretation and report. D0367 includes interpretation, so there should be a radiologic report in the record, not just the raw volume. A claim for an interpret-inclusive code with no report on file is an audit exposure.

When to bill D0367

Bill D0367 when your office captures a cone beam CT covering both jaws and the same provider interprets it. Common situations:

• Implant planning across both arches, or where the scan field naturally takes in both.
• Evaluation of pathology, impacted teeth, or anatomy where a both-jaws volume is clinically indicated.
• Surgical or orthodontic assessment requiring a full both-arches 3D dataset.

Do not bill D0367 for:

• A scan limited to one arch (use D0365 for mandible, D0366 for maxilla) or a sub-arch region (D0364).
• A scan your office captured but a separate radiologist interpreted. Use D0383 for the capture, and the radiologist bills D0391.
• A 2D panoramic (D0330) or intraoral series (D0210). Those are different procedures and different imaging entirely.

What to get right in your PMS

The menus differ across Open Dental, Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Curve, and Carestream, but the setup that prevents miscoding is the same:

1. Keep the CBCT field-of-view codes as distinct line items. D0364, D0365, D0366, and D0367 should be separately labeled by field of view so the person posting picks by coverage, not by guesswork. A single fuzzy “CBCT” entry is how the wrong field-of-view code gets billed.
2. Separate the capture-only codes from D0367. If your office ever sends scans out for interpretation, have D0383 (capture only, both jaws) available and distinct from D0367, so a split-read scan doesn’t get billed as a one-provider service.
3. Attach the narrative and the radiologic report to the claim. CBCT claims need the clinical justification and, for D0367, evidence that interpretation happened. Link both to the claim, not just the patient chart.
4. Flag CBCT for benefit verification before scanning. Set the code so it doesn’t route to insurance on autopilot. Predetermine elective cases, and route surgical or pathology scans through your medical-billing check if you run one.