Influence of cone beam CT volume orientation on alveolar bone measurements in patients with different facial profiles

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of cone beam CT (CBCT) volume orientation on alveolar bone measurements for dental implant planning using CBCT in patients with different facial profiles. Methods: 74 CBCT volumes were selected from a database and classified according to the facial profile of the patient. Height and width measurements of the alveolar bone were carried out with the volume of the mandible in two different orientations: occlusal plane and mandibular base parallel to the horizontal plane. The data were subjected to the mixed model methodology for repeated measures, through the PROC MIXED procedure. Multiple comparisons were performed by Tukey Kramer test (α = 0.05). Results: Alveolar bone width was significantly greater when the CBCT volume was oriented with the mandibular base parallel to the horizontal plane, for all facial profiles (p ≤ 0.05). Alveolar bone height was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) for dolichofacial individuals when compared to that of mesofacial and brachyfacial individuals, who did not differ significantly between each other (p > 0.05), regardless of the CBCT volume orientations used in this study. Conclusions: CBCT-based alveolar bone width is increased when the image volume is oriented with the mandibular base parallel to the horizontal plane and dolichofacial individuals present greater alveolar bone height.