Location of vital structures and available bone for the placement of dental implants in clinically edentulous patients: A cohort study

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a cohort of edentulous Sri Lankan patients and to consider important anatomical landmarks and available bone seen in dental panoramic tomography (DPT) for the placement of implants. Materials and Methods: A total of 152 clinically edentulous arches were selected from the DPTs of 81 patients. DPTs were taken following standard protocols. Radiographs were evaluated by a specialist for the following: the relative thickness of the soft tissue coverage of the alveolar ridge, location of the mandibular canal, mental foramen and the maxillary sinus, bone height at the maxillary canine, first premolar region, mandibular canine, and symphyseal region, and for the presence of buried roots or impacted teeth and foreign bodies. Results: The mean age of the patients in the sample was 68.4±9.8 years. The sample comprised 59.0% females and 41.0% males. Out of 152 edentulous arches, 75 (49.0%) were mandibular and 77 (51.0%) were maxillary arches. The mean soft tissue thickness was 2.2±0.89 mm. The average bone height from the lower alveolar crest to the mandibular canal was 10.5 mm in the first molar region. The position of the mental foramen was at 21.1±5.32 mm on the right side and 22.4±4.63 mm on the left from the midline. The bone height from the floor of the maxillary sinus and the alveolar crest was <5 mm in 73.3% of patients on the right side and 72.0% on the left side. Conclusions: Standard conventional implants were possible in the anterior segment and only short implants were possible in the posterior segment for the majority of edentulous Sri Lankan patients without the risk of damaging vital structures and with no additional pre-implant corrective surgical procedures. The average readings of anatomical parameters revealed in this study will be useful in the clinical and radiographical assessment of edentulous patients for dental implants.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION LIMITATIONS CONCLUSION