Cortical bone thickness of the alveolar process measured with cone-beam computed tomography in patients with different facial types.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to determine the cortical bone thickness of the alveolar process in the maxilla and the mandible on cone-beam computed tomographs of adults with low, normal, and increased facial heights. METHODS: This study was conducted on 155 images of adult patients (20-45 years old) who were assigned to the low-angle, normal, and high-angle groups. The thickness of the buccal cortical plates of the maxilla and the mandible, and the palatal cortical plates of the maxilla, were measured. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding mean ages, sex, and sagittal facial types. High-angle patients had significantly lower values than did low-angle patients in all mini-implant insertion sites in both the maxillary and mandibular alveolar bones. The mandibular and maxillary buccal measurements showed a similar pattern; the lowest values were for the high-angle group, followed by the normal group; the highest values were measured in the low-angle patients. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware of the probability of thin cortical bone plates and the risk of mini-implant failures at maxillary buccal alveolar mini-implant sites in high-angle patients, and at mandibular buccal alveolar mini-implant sites between the canine and the first premolar in normal and high-angle patients.