Assessment of Bone Quality in Pre-dental Implant Site Using Periapical, Panoramic and Computed Tomography

Purpose: Radiological evaluation of bone quality as well as the shape of the alveolar bone of the edentulous part to be placed is very important f or successf ul implant placement. Recently, threedimensional analysis using computed tomography and cone beam computed tomography has been actively used before implant surgery, but periapical and panoramic radiographs have been used for a long time to evaluate alveolar bone using low radiation doses. The purpose of this study was to compare the Hounsfield unit value of CT af ter dividing maxillary, mandibular, anterior, and posterior teeth into whether periapical and panoramic radiographs could be effectively used for bone quality evaluation. Materials and Methods: The periapical x-ray, panoramic x-ray, and conventional CT were taken from a total of 100 patients who have undergone the implant treatment. For 3D analysis, the virtual implants with a diameter of 4 mm and a length of 10 mm were placed in the implant planning software and the bone quality of 1 mm circumference was measured by Hounsfield unit value. Periapical x-ray and panoramic x-ray were also evaluated for bone quality. The degree of agreement among them was evaluated. Results: In 3D image analysis, reformatted cross-sectional, panoramic image analysis, bony quality evaluation similar to CT analysis was possible in maxillary anterior/posterior teeth with periapical Abstract Original Article