Abstract
Preoperative imaging can provide important information for osseointegrated implant treatment. The use of cross-sectional CT images in the buccolingual direction, which are reconstructed from axial CT images, allow a more detailed design of fixture placement to be planned before surgery. The alveolar shape, including the width, height and angle to the occlusal plane, strongly influences the outcome, especially in the upper incisor regions. Therefore, the detailed measured shape using reformatted cross-sectional images may enable the prognosis to be made more accurately. However, no well-established method for measurement has been developed and no study on the standard shape of edentulous alveolar process has been reported on reformatted CT images.
The purpose of this study was to establish a method to measure the width, height and angle to the occlusal plane of the alveolar process on reformatted CT images and to present their standard values in the maxillary anterior region. CT images of 83 patients (34 males and 49 females) were examined.
The results were as follows.
A method to measure the edentulous alveolar process on reformatted CT images was established.
The angle of inclination of the edentulous alveolar process was similar in the central and lateral incisor regions, but that in the canine region was larger.
The height and width in the edentulous alveolar process of the central incisor region were large.
