Assessment of thickness of roof of the glenoid fossa in dentate, edentulous, and partially edentulous subjects using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) - a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: Studies have inferred a direct association between Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) and the integrity of the structures associated with it such as the Glenoid fossa thereby necessitating the requirement to measure the thickness of this oft ignored entity. This study was carried out to assess the thickness of the glenoid fossa roof in dentulous, edentulous, and partially edentulous subjects using archival Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. METHOD: Analysis of CBCT data of 120 joints from 60 adult subjects without signs and symptoms of TMD was carried out. The scans were grouped based on the dental status as dentulous, edentulous, and partially edentulous and additionally into two sets as those below and above 40 years of age. The distance between the superior and inferior cortices of the glenoid fossa was measured indicating the thickness of the roof of the glenoid fossa in the coronal and sagittal planes, by three independent observers. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's post hoc test were used to compare the association between the mean thickness of the glenoid fossa and the dentition status. A p ≤ 0.05 was considered to be significant. RESULTS: There was no significant association between the mean thickness of the glenoid fossa and the dentition of the study participants of all three groups, when assessed by the three observers, except the mean thickness on the right side in the sagittal section as measured by one observer. A thicker fossa was observed in edentulous subjects when compared to dentulous participants, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.035). CONCLUSION: The thickness of the roof of the glenoid fossa demonstrated no association with the dental status of the study participants and no age or sex related differences were noted.

Computed tomographic assessment of maxillary sinus wall thickness in edentulous patients.

Posterior maxillary region is considered to be the most challenging area for dental implant placement. Lateral window opening is the gold standard procedure for maxillary sinus augmentation in this area. The purpose of this study is to evaluate lateral wall thickness of the maxillary sinus for sinus augmentation using computed tomography (CT) in edentulous patients. Computed tomography images of 302 patients were analysed. Using the maxillary sinus floor as the reference point in edentulous regions, lateral wall thickness was measured on CT scans. After drawing a tangent line at the lowest point of the sinus floor, another perpendicular line to the tangent line was drawn at the same point of the sinus floor. Thickness of the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus was measured using 10DR implant software at 3 (R1), 10 (R2) and 15 mm (R3) from the sinus floor. The mean thickness of the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus from the first premolar to second molar was 1·69 ± 0·71, 1·50 ± 0·72, 1·77 ± 0·78 and 1·89 ± 0·85 mm, respectively. The thickness differed significantly at the R2 and R3 points. Women had thinner lateral walls at the R1 and R2 points at the premolars than did men. At the R2 and R3 points at the second premolar, the mean thickness of smokers was larger than that of non-smokers. There were no significant differences on age or reasons for tooth loss. The changes in the thickness of the lateral wall at different reference points were observed, and CT examinations may help make lateral window without membrane perforation.

Significance of pre-treatment panoramic radiographic assessment of edentulous patients--a survey.

OBJECTIVES: The present study was undertaken to review the significance of pre-treatment panoramic radiographic assessment of edentulous patients, in the dental patient population of Haryana, India. STUDY DESIGN: In this study a total of 525 completely edentulous patients were selected randomly. A panoramic radiograph was taken using Panoramic machine (Rotagraph plus) and all the radiographs were evaluated by 2 oral radiology specialists for the following clinically significant radiographic findings: retained root fragments, embedded teeth, radiolucencies, radiopacities and location of the mental foramen at the crest of the residual alveolar ridge. The data were analyzed using the chi square test. RESULTS: A total of 245 radiographic findings were seen in 168 (32%) patients. Out of total 525 cases 16.4% (n=86) patients had submucosal or intrabony root stumps, 4.8% (n=25) had embedded teeth, 2.5% (n=13) had radiolucencies, 9.9% (n=52) had radiopacities and 1.7% (n=9) had mental foramen at the crest of the residual alveolar ridge. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that Routine radiographic examination of completely edentulous patients is critical before construction of complete denture.

Assessment of bone mineral density in the jaws and its relationship to radiomorphometric indices.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate maxillary, mandibular and femoral neck bone mineral density using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and to determine any correlation between the bone mineral density of the jaws and panoramic radiomorphometric indices. METHODS: 49 edentulous patients (18 males and 31 females) aged between 41 and 78 years (mean age 60.2 +/- 11.04) were examined by panoramic radiography. Bone mineral density (BMD) of the jaws and femoral neck was measured with a DXA; bone mineral density was calculated at the anterior, premolar and molar regions of the maxilla and mandible. RESULTS: The mean maxillary molar BMD (0.45 g cm(-2)) was significantly greater than the maxillary anterior and premolar BMD (0.31 g cm(-2), P < 0.05). Furthermore, the mean mandibular anterior and premolar BMD (1.39 g cm(-2) and 1.28 g cm(-2), respectively) was significantly greater than the mean mandibular molar BMD (1.09 g cm(-2), P < 0.01). Although BMD in the maxillary anterior and premolar regions were correlated, BMD in all the mandibular regions were highly correlated. Maxillary and mandibular BMD were not correlated with femoral BMD. In addition, mandibular cortical index (MCI) classification, mental index (MI) or panoramic mandibular index (PMI) values were not significantly correlated with the maxillary and mandibular BMDs (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The BMD in this study was highest in the mandibular anterior region and lowest in the maxillary anterior and premolar regions. The BMD of the jaws was not correlated with either femoral BMD or panoramic radiomorphometric indices.

Radiographic assessment of dental health in middle-aged men following sudden cardiac death.

Poor oral health has been suggested to be a risk factor for myocardial infarction. To study if dental pathology might predispose to pre-hospital sudden cardiac death, and using a sum index of panoramic tomography findings, we compared the oral health of middle-aged (33-69 yrs) male victims (Helsinki Sudden Death Study) of sudden cardiac death (n = 117) with that of controls, who died of non-cardiac diseases (n = 63) or suffered unnatural sudden death (n = 120). The mean number of teeth was 15.2, and 17.4% of the men were edentulous. Frequent age-associated findings in dentate victims were fillings (79.9%), horizontal bone loss (72.1%), periapical lesions (45.6%), residual roots (38.2%), and vertical pockets (30.9%). In multivariate analysis with coronary heart disease risk factors and number of teeth as covariates, poor oral health was associated (p = 0.053) with the risk of sudden cardiac death along with age, smoking, and body mass index. This association was especially strong (p = 0.009) among victims < 50 yrs.

[Mandibular fractures due to implant management--incidence, mechanism of injury and therapeutic characteristics]. / Unterkieferfrakturen infolge Implantatversorgung--Inzidenz, Verletzungsmechanismen und therapeutische Besonderheiten.

We report of 5 of 337 patients (1.48%), in whom a fracture of the edentulous atrophied mandible occurred after dental implants had been inserted. In 79 patients a sandwich osteotomy (anterior and/or lateral mandible) had been carried out together with the insertion of implants. The reason for a fracture was infection in 3 patients and weakening of the atrophied mandible by the additional osteotomies in 2 patients. One of the latter two was seen intraoperatively and fixed immediately using miniplates. The other occurred about 4 weeks postoperatively and was not discovered until callus had been developed. Consequently only 4 of the 5 patients were treated by osteosynthesis. In two patients no implants were lost. The application of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) helped to avoid the loss of implants because it accelerated ossification of the fracture and the integration of the implants.

Clinical and radiologic assessment of possibilities for endosseous implants and osseointegrated prostheses in 55-year-old edentulous subjects.

To determine how many 55-year-old edentulous subjects were suitable candidates for implant-retained overdentures of fixed implant bridges and how many of them might be interested in such treatment, case histories were reviewed, and clinical and radiologic examinations were performed on 146 subjects (100 women, 46 men) in a medium-sized city in northern Finland. Numbers and lengths of implants required in altogether 16 regions in the upper and lower jaw were evaluated. The commonest implant length was 8 mm in the upper jaw and 16 mm in the lower jaw. Construction of an implant-retained fixed bridge would have been possible in the upper jaw in 121 subjects (83%) and of an overdenture in all lower jaws. Information about the benefits of the treatment is important because, although the percentage of subjects who were suitable candidates for implant-retained prostheses was high, few subjects were aware of or interested in this type of treatment.