Imaging Sci Dent.  2019 Mar;49(1):9-17. 10.5624/isd.2019.49.1.9.

Reproducibility of cone-beam computed tomographic measurements of bone plates and the interdental septum in the anterior mandible

• Valerio CS
• e Alves CA
• Manzi FR

• KMID: 2442104
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5624/isd.2019.49.1.9

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study aimed to introduce a novel method to evaluate the alveolar bone and interdental septum in the anterior mandible using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Fifty-six CBCT scans from adult patients were selected. The CBCT scans were obtained before and after orthodontic treatment. The following measurements were taken: width of the alveolar bone and the interdental septum, height of the interdental septum, height of the bone plates, distance between the cementoenamel junction and marginal bone crests, and vertical positioning of the mandibular incisor, using the lingual plane as a reference. To test the reproducibility and the stability of the lingual plane, a triangle was traced in the anterior mandible. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine intra- and inter-examiner agreement. The paired Student t-test was used to evaluate the area of the triangle and the reproducibility of all measurements.
RESULTS
The ICC was excellent for the alveolar bone and dental measurements (0.9989 and 0.9977, respectively), as well as for the interdental septum (0.9987 and 0.9961, respectively). The area of the triangles showed stability in the lingual plane (P>0.05). For the alveolar bone, mandibular incisor, and interdental septum measurements, no statistically significant differences were found between the 2 examiners (P>0.05), confirming the technical reliability of the measurements.
CONCLUSION
The method used in this study provides a valid and reproducible assessment of alveolar bone dimensions in the anterior mandible measured on CBCT images.

Keyword

Alveolar Process; Alveolar Bone Loss; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; Mandible

MeSH Terms

Adult
Alveolar Bone Loss
Alveolar Process
Bone Plates*
Cone-Beam Computed Tomography
Humans
Incisor
Mandible*
Methods
Tooth Cervix