Evaluation of mental foramen implant site

Abstract

Diagnosis and the treatment plan play an important role in the success of implant treatment. Understanding the characteristics of the implant position and anatomical structure through radiographic examination is considered as a major requirement in the implant treatment. The high diagnostic ability of spiral tomography in the maxilla and mandible has been reported in some studies/by some investigators. The aim of the present descriptive-analytic study is the comparison of the measurement ability of panoramic radiography and spiral CT scan at the mental foramen area. Methods & Material: Panoramic radiography and spiral CT scan at the mental foramen area were performed in 40 patients. In the former case, the measurement was made using vernier, whereas the vertical distance between the hole in mental foramen and the alveolar crest bone which was assessed using a marker was used in spiral CT scan. The results were compared by student's t-test using SPSS software. Results: The distance between the hole in mental foramen and the alveolar crest bone in the spiral CT scan and the panoramic radiography methods were obtained as 14.20+-2.63 and 19.05+-2.84 , respectively which were found to be statistically different (p = 0.000). The difference in the horizontal size in two methods was also investigated. Using spiral CT scan, the distance between the vertical point on the crest bone and mesial of first molar was 17.62+-2.38 . The corresponding value with panoramic radiography was found to be 23.97+-2.79 . The difference between these two values was statistically different (p 0.000). Conclusion: According to the results obtained, panoramic radiography can be used in dental implantation if spiral CT scan is not available, providing that at least 5mm distance important for being abstention of possible injury And 7mm horizontal distance.