Buccal bone thickness of maxillary anterior teeth: A systematic review and meta‐analysis.

Aim: To systematically review buccal bone thickness (BBT) in the anterior maxilla in different teeth, age groups and genders. Materials and Methods: PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were searched up to April 2020. Clinical and radiographic studies reporting on BBT of maxillary anterior teeth, with at least 10 patients, were included. A meta‐analysis was performed using random effect models to report differences of BBT. Results: 50 studies were included. Using bone crest (BC) as a reference point, no significant differences were found in BBT between different tooth types, except for 0.16 mm (95%‐CI: 0.02–0.30) increased mid‐root thickness of premolars compared to canines. Using the CEJ as a reference point, canines presented with a significantly increased thickness of 0.32 mm (95%‐CI: 0.11–0.54) coronally compared to laterals. When BC was used as reference, males demonstrated a significantly increased thickness of 0.21 mm (95%‐CI: 0.15–0.27) apically, while middle‐aged adults showed a 0.06 mm (95%‐CI: −0.12, −0.01) statistically significant increase in the coronal level compared to older adults. Conclusions: Few maxillary anterior teeth have BBT greater than 1 mm. Buccal bone tends to get thicker from a coronal to apical position along the root surface and from an anterior to posterior position in the arch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]