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Background Dental implants have become reliable and predictable tools for treating missing teeth. The survival rate of dental implants is markedly influenced by the host bone quality and quantity of the jawbone. A better host bone provides higher initial stability of the dental implant, resulting in better osseointegration and a higher success rate. Host bone quality and quantity are determined by the crestal cortical bone thickness and inner cancellous bone density. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the crestal cortical bone thickness at dental implant sites in different regions of the jawbone through the use of dental cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) images. Materials and Methods A total of 661 dental implant sites (81 in the anterior mandible, 122 in the anterior maxilla, 224 in the posterior mandible, and 234 in the posterior maxilla) were obtained from the jawbones of 173 humans. The data were subjected to statistical analysis to determine any correlation between crestal cortical bone thicknesses and jawbone regions using one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's post-test. Results The crestal cortical bone thicknesses at dental implant sites in the four regions decreased in the following order: posterior mandible (1.07 ± 0.47 mm, mean ± SD) >anterior mandible (0.99 ± 0.36 mm) >anterior maxilla (0.82 ± 0.30 mm) >posterior maxilla (0.75 ± 0.35 mm). Conclusion The dental CBCT data demonstrate that crestal cortical bone thickness varies markedly between dental implant sites in the four regions of the jawbone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental implant surgery is a common treatment for missing teeth. Its survival rate is considerably affected by host bone quality and quantity, which is often assessed prior to surgery through dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Dental CBCT was used in this study to evaluate dental implant sites for (1) differences in and (2) correlations between cancellous bone density and cortical bone thickness among four regions of the jawbone. In total, 315 dental implant sites (39 in the anterior mandible, 42 in the anterior maxilla, 107 in the posterior mandible, and 127 in the posterior maxilla) were identified in dental CBCT images from 128 patients. All CBCT images were loaded into Mimics 15.0 to measure cancellous bone density (unit: grayscale value (GV) and cortical bone thickness (unit: mm)). Differences among the four regions of the jawbone were evaluated using one-way analysis of variance and Scheffe's posttest. Pearson coefficients for correlations between cancellous bone density and cortical bone thickness were also calculated for the four jawbone regions. The results revealed that the mean cancellous bone density was highest in the anterior mandible (722 ± 227 GV), followed by the anterior maxilla (542 ± 208 GV), posterior mandible (535 ± 206 GV), and posterior maxilla (388 ± 206 GV). Cortical bone thickness was highest in the posterior mandible (1.15 ± 0.42 mm), followed by the anterior mandible (1.01 ± 0.32 mm), anterior maxilla (0.89 ± 0.26 mm), and posterior maxilla (0.72 ± 0.19 mm). In the whole jawbone, a weak correlation (r = 0.133, p = 0.041) was detected between cancellous bone density and cortical bone thickness. Furthermore, except for the anterior maxilla (r = 0.306, p = 0.048), no correlation between the two bone parameters was observed (all p > 0.05). Cancellous bone density and cortical bone thickness varies by implant site in the four regions of the jawbone. The cortical and cancellous bone of a jawbone dental implant site should be evaluated individually before surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]