Abstract
PurposeFacial crestal bone level and dimension determine function and esthetics of dentition and dental implants. We have previously demonstrated that ultrasound can identify bony and soft tissue structures in the oral cavity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of using ultrasound to measure facial crestal bone level and thickness.Materials and methodsA commercially available medical ultrasound scanner, paired with a 14 MHz imaging probe was used to scan dental and periodontal tissues at the mid-facial site of each tooth on 6 fresh cadavers. The alveolar crest level in relation to the cemento-enamel junction and its thickness on ultrasound images were measured and compared to those on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans and/or direct measurements on a total of 144 teeth.ResultsThe mean crestal bone level measured by means of ultrasound, CBCT and direct measures was 2.66 ± 0.86 mm, 2.51 ± 0.82 mm, and 2.71 ± 1.04 mm, respectively. The mean crestal bone thickness was 0.71 ± 0.44 mm and 0.74 ± 0.34 mm, measured by means of ultrasound and CBCT, respectively. The correlations of the ultrasound readings to the other two methods were between 0.78 and 0.88. The mean absolute differences in crestal bone height and thickness between ultrasound and CBCT were 0.09 mm (-1.20 to 1.00 mm, p = 0.06) and 0.03 mm (-0.48 to 0.54 mm, p = 0.03), respectively.ConclusionUltrasound was as accurate in determining alveolar bone level and its thickness as CBCT and direct measurements. Clinical trials will be required to further validate this non-ionizing and non-invasive method for determining facial crestal bone position and dimension.
Highlights
The thickness and level of the facial alveolar bone are important prognostic parameters for functional and esthetic outcomes of periodontal and dental implant therapy
The mean crestal bone level measured by means of ultrasound, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and direct measures was 2.66 ± 0.86 mm, 2.51 ± 0.82 mm, and 2.71 ± 1.04 mm, respectively
Gingival recession is commonly accompanied with thin facial bone and/or bony dehiscence [1]
Summary
The thickness and level of the facial alveolar bone are important prognostic parameters for functional and esthetic outcomes of periodontal and dental implant therapy. Sockets with a thin buccal plate have approximately two times more horizontal and vertical bone resorption after immediate implant placement [2]. Clinical evaluation of facial bone is an invasive procedure that requires flap elevation or sounding under local anesthesia. Advanced imaging techniques such as threedimensional cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) have been used to study facial bone thickness [3,4,5]. Ultrasound imaging is mainly used as a research tool for evaluating soft tissue lesions [7,8,9,10,11] and gingival thickness [12, 13]. This study aims to investigate the accuracy of sonography in measuring facial crestal bone level and thickness on different tooth types with a larger sample size
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