How to Open a Dental CBCT Disc in MicroDicom

The short answer: put the disc in the drive, start MicroDicom, and use File > Open CD/DVD. If the disc has a DICOMDIR index file, File > Open DICOMDIR loads the whole patient list in one step. MicroDicom is a free Windows viewer for non-commercial use, so it is a quick way to look at a CBCT disc from a radiology centre without installing a full imaging suite. This guide covers the steps, what to do when the disc looks empty, and where MicroDicom stops being enough.

It is written for dentists, clinic IT staff and students. MicroDicom states that it has no CE mark or FDA approval and must not be used for clinical purposes, so treat it as a viewer for orientation, teaching and sharing, not as a diagnostic tool.

Before you start

The licence point matters for clinics. Free use is limited to personal and educational use, and a private dental practice is professional use, so a practice should plan on the vendor’s commercial licence. Students, researchers working with their own anonymised cases and people opening their own scans are the natural free users.

Step 1: Get MicroDicom running

• Installer: the standard route on a normal Windows PC. Download only from the vendor’s own downloads page (microdicom.com).
• Portable ZIP: runs without installation, which suits locked-down clinic workstations where you cannot add software. Pick x64 for modern 64-bit Windows and x86 only for old 32-bit machines.
• Autorun package for CD/DVD/USB: intended for people who burn their own discs, so the recipient can open the images without installing anything.

Step 2: Open the disc

1. Insert the disc (or plug in the USB stick) and start MicroDicom.
2. Choose File > Open CD/DVD, or the same command on the Standard toolbar (the shortcut is Alt+O).
3. If the disc carries a DICOMDIR file, use File > Open DICOMDIR and select that file. The DICOMDIR is an index of every patient, study and series on the disc, so the program does not have to guess where the images are.
4. In the study browser, pick the CBCT series. A CBCT is normally one large series of axial slices; panoramic and cephalometric images, if included, appear as separate series.
5. Scroll through the axial slices with the mouse wheel.

Step 3: Look at the volume

Since version 2026.3 MicroDicom offers 3D MPR (with MIP, MinIP and average projection and adjustable slab thickness) and 3D volume rendering, in addition to the classic multiplanar views. For a CBCT, the useful routine is:

• Use the MPR layout to see axial, coronal and sagittal planes together.
• Adjust window/level with the presets until bone and soft tissue contrast look usable. CBCT grey values are not calibrated like medical CT Hounsfield units, so do not compare density numbers between scanners.
• Use the distance and angle tools for rough reference measurements. If the series lacks pixel spacing data, calibrate first, otherwise the numbers are meaningless.
• Open the DICOM tag browser if you need to check what the scanner wrote into the header.

Step 4: Share or save what you need

• Anonymise first. MicroDicom can anonymise DICOM images before you pass them on, which removes patient identifiers from the header. Check any burned-in text on the images yourself; header cleaning does not touch pixels.
• Export images to JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, TIFF or WMF, or export a scroll-through to video (AVI, WMV or MP4) for a case discussion.
• Copy to the clipboard for a quick paste into a report or presentation.

When the disc looks empty or will not open

• Nothing happens after inserting the disc. Do not wait for autorun. Open MicroDicom first and use Open CD/DVD or Open DICOMDIR as above.
• No DICOMDIR in the root. Browse the disc in File Explorer. Many dental discs bury the images in subfolders and ship their own viewer next to the data. The vendor documentation describes scanning a folder for DICOM files, which finds images even without an index.
• Files without an extension. DICOM files often have no .dcm extension, or odd names. That is normal; open them through the DICOM dialogs rather than by double-clicking.
• Only an executable viewer on the disc. Some scanner vendors include a proprietary viewer. You can still copy the whole disc to a local folder and open the data in MicroDicom.
• Disc will not read at all. Try another drive and copy the files to the hard disk before opening them. A scratched disc is a data problem, not a viewer problem; ask the imaging centre for a new copy or a download link.

MicroDicom on a Mac

MicroDicom describes itself as a native Windows application. For macOS it provides a Wine-based installer and video guides for running it with Wine (open source) or CrossOver (a paid compatibility layer). It works, but it is a workaround. A Mac-based clinic that mostly looks at CBCT is usually better served by a native viewer; see OsiriX Lite limitations before you pick one.

Limitations

• Not for clinical use, per the vendor, and no CE mark or FDA approval.
• Free only for non-commercial use.
• No dental-specific tools: no implant library, nerve canal tracing or panoramic curve reformatting workflow.
• 3D features are new (2026.3) and simpler than in dedicated 3D software.
• Windows only; Mac and Linux users need other options.

Which viewer for which job

For a wider comparison, see our guide to free DICOM viewers for dental use, and for a head-to-head read OsiriX Lite vs MicroDicom.

FAQ

Where do I download MicroDicom?

From the vendor’s own downloads page at microdicom.com. It offers an installer, portable ZIP packages, an autorun package and a macOS Wine installer. Avoid third-party mirrors, which can carry outdated or altered builds.

Is the MicroDicom DICOM viewer free?

Yes for personal and educational use. The vendor also sells a commercial licence for professional or enterprise use.

Is there MicroDicom for Mac?

Not natively. The vendor supplies a Wine-based package and tutorials for running the Windows program on macOS with Wine or CrossOver.

How do I open a DICOMDIR file in MicroDicom?

Choose File > Open DICOMDIR and select the DICOMDIR file, normally in the root of the disc. For a whole disc you can also use File > Open CD/DVD.

Can MicroDicom open a CBCT scan?

Yes. It reads CBCT series as DICOM slices and shows them in axial, coronal and sagittal views, with 3D MPR and volume rendering since version 2026.3. It is not a diagnostic tool.

Is there a portable MicroDicom?

Yes, x64 and x86 portable ZIP packages run without installation.

Last updated: 6 October 2026 · DentSoftPro editorial team. Licence, version and platform details are checked against each developer's official documentation; none of the tools listed here should be treated as a certified medical device unless its vendor says so.