Abstract
We quantitatively assessed changes in alveolar bone density (ABD) in successful cases of tooth autotransplantation using intraoral images and novel software, and investigated whether these measurements could serve as a predictive indicator of tooth autotransplantation success. ABD was measured immediately after tooth autotransplantation, as well as at 3 months and 6 months postoperatively. Statistical analyses were conducted to examine whether there were significant differences in ABD across these time points. For the intervals showing significant changes, the change ratio of ABD was calculated and further analyzed to determine whether there were differences according to patient and procedural variables, including sex, age, donor arch, recipient arch, recipient site, presence of adjacent teeth at the recipient site, and transplantation method. Twenty-six patients were included in this study. The median ABD was 1313.85 mg/cm2 immediately after transplantation, 1423.48 mg/cm2 at 3 months, and 1501.63 mg/cm2 at 6 months. Statistically significant differences were observed between the immediate and 3-month measurements, as well as between the immediate and 6-month measurements. The median change ratio of ABD up to three months after tooth autotransplantation was 1.18. No significant differences were found across patient or procedural attributes.
In successful cases of tooth autotransplantation, the ABD increased significantly within the first 3 months postoperatively, with a quantified change ratio of 1.18. This value suggests the potential of early ABD changes as a predictive indicator of tooth autotransplantation success. (J Osaka Dent Univ 2026; 60: 33-41)
