30 years of NEWTOM: the story of a revolution that has rewritten the future of imaging

There are moments when the future ceases to be a mere possibility and becomes reality, thanks to the vision of a few pioneers. Today, in 2026, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of these incredible revolutions: 30 years of NEWTOM’s Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) technology.

It is an Italian story of intuition, boldness, and constant innovation, born from the historic radiological insights of Prof. Alessandro Vallebona, who conceived the tomographic radiographic scanning technique at the beginning of the 20th century, and then racing like a sprinter in recent decades within the Cefla group, continually pushing the boundaries of diagnostic excellence.

1996: The Big Bang of 3D Imaging

It all began in 1996 in Verona, at the then-QR (Quantitative Radiology). Four Italian experts joined forces and created the NEWTOM 9000, the first CBCT system for clinical dental applications ever marketed worldwide.

For dentistry, this was a quantum leap: for the first time, a conical radiation beam and a two-dimensional flat-panel detector (implemented on the VGi device in the early 2000s) allowed for the acquisition of entire anatomical volumes with a single rotation, reducing the radiation dose by at least five times compared to traditional CT scans, forever changing global dental imaging diagnostics.

All of this can be analyzed using dedicated NNTsoftware , optimized for dental analysis and reporting and later extended to other medical and veterinary applications.

Three decades of technological firsts

NEWTOM’s success has never stopped, driven by a DNA strongly oriented toward evolution. Let’s retrace the milestones of this technological journey:

• 2004 – The NEWTOM 3G era: the device introduced the widest FOV of its time (ø 20 cm) and cut scan times in half compared to its predecessor.
• 2007 – The Vertical Generation (VG): NEWTOM breaks the mold by introducing vertical patient positioning and the smallest focal spot ever (0.3 mm).
• 2010 – Beyond dentistry with NEWTOM 5G: thanks to the open gantry and motorized table, CBCT successfully enters the musculoskeletal, ENT, and even veterinary fields.
• 2012 – The introduction of SafeBeam™ for 2D imaging as well: with the NEWTOM GiANO model — combining 3D and 2D in a single device—patented technology debuts that automatically adapts emission parameters to the patient’s anatomy, eliminating the risk of excessive radiation doses.
• 2014/15 – The introduction of Ray 2D and CineX auxiliary functions for dynamic radiographic analysis on the new NEWTOM VGi evo and 5G XL models, equipped with a more powerful generator and a new, larger flat panel.
• 2016 - NEWTOM GO 2D/3D with MultiPAN functionoffering up to 5 focus layers in a single scan, and available with CEPH extension starting in 2019.
• 2018/21 – Extreme precision: NEWTOM GiANO HR is introduced, later expanded with 2D DC’’’ (Direct Conversion) technology, capable of achieving a new level of contrast in PAN and CEPH images, as well as featuring the world’s smallest voxel in the FOV targeted for endodontics and/or the study of the cervical spine and/or the inner ear.
• 2020/2024 – The Multi-Scan and Dual Energy breakthrough: the NEWTOM 7G is introduced, which in 2024 is enhanced with revolutionary Dual Energy technology . This innovation uses two different radiation energies in real time to chemically characterize tissues, drastically eliminating metal artifacts and offering unprecedented soft tissue contrast.
• 2025 - NEOWISE: then innovative image management and processing software equipped with AI-based automated features (including for cephalometric tracings) combinedwiththe new NEWTOM VG-One and the entire range of dental devices.

2026: NEWTOM GiANO HR FullView and the future that is already here

Today, NEWTOM not only celebrates the past but continues to set the standard for the future. The latest addition to the range, the NEWTOM GiANO HR FullView, perfectly embodies this pioneering legacy.

Thanks to the next-generation IGZOflat panel , the device is capable of pushing 3D resolution to microscopic levels, capturing anatomical details with a record voxel size of just 50 µm. But innovation isn’t just about image resolution: with 3DPIC technology , the system generates true-color 3D facial scans that can be overlaid on radiographic images, giving clinicians an overview and enabling treatment planning with unprecedented predictive accuracy.

Beyond Vision

NEWTOM’s slogan is “Beyond Vision”: beyond vision. It is not just a motto, but a promise kept day after day in the fields of dentistry, maxillofacial surgery, otolaryngology, and orthopedics.

Looking back to 1996 and comparing it to today’s technological marvels, one thing is clear: NEWTOM’s journey has only just begun, and the best is yet to come.