Maxillary And Mandibular Cortical Bone Thickness In Anterior Dentate Region: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Analysis

Cortical bone thickness in anterior dentate region

Aim The present study aims to measure the thickness of cortical bone buccally, palatally/ lingually in anterior dentate sites in maxilla and mandible.

Materials and Methods Cone-beam computed tomography images of 480 patients (240 males and 240 females) aged 25 to 65 years were analyzed to measure the thickness of the buccal and palatal/lingual cortical bones for both maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth on the right and left sides. The measurements were made at following levels: the crest, the middle third of the root and the apex. The data was collected and statistically analyzed using the independent t-test for the differences between the male and female groups and between the buccal and palatal/lingual sides at each level. Pearson’s correlation was used to assess the association between gender and bone thickness.

Results The buccal cortical bone thickness was least in canines followed by central incisors. Whereas, the highest palatal/lingual cortical bone thickness was seen in canines followed by central incisors. The palatal/lingual bone thickness was higher than the buccal bone thickness at each level (p<0.05). The mean buccal and palatal/lingual bone thickness at each level was significantly larger in males than females and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Also, gender was significantly associated with the buccal and palatal/lingual bone thickness (r=0.58, p=0.04).

Conclusion The present study suggests that the cortical bone thickness in maxilla and mandible varies with respect to location of the teeth and gender.