Bone density assessment for mini-implants position

Introduction: Cortical thickness, interradicular space width and bone density are key factors in the use of mini-implants as anchorage. Objective: This study assessed maxillary and mandibular alveolar and basal bone density in Hounsfield units (HU). Method: Eleven files with CT images of adults were used to obtain 660 measurements of bone density: alveolar (buccal and lingual cortical) bone, cancellous bone and basal bone (maxilla and mandible). The Mimics software 10.0 (Materialise, Belgium) was used to estimate values. Results: In the maxilla, the density of buccal cortical bone in the alveolar region ranged from 438 to 948 HU, and the lingual, from 680 to 950 HU; cancellous bone ranged from 207 to 488 HU. The buccal basal bone ranged from 672 to 1380 HU, and cancellous bone, from 186 to 402 HU. In the mandible, the buccal cortical bone ranged from 782 to 1610 HU, the lingual cortical alveolar bone, from 610 to 1301 HU, and the cancellous bone, from 224 to 538 HU. In the basal area, density was 1145 to 1363 HU in the buccal cortical bone and 184 to 485 HU in the cancellous bone. Conclusions: In the maxilla, the greatest bone density was found between the premolars in the buccal cortical bone of the alveolar region. The maxillary tuberosity was the region with the lowest bone density. Bone density in the mandible was higher than in the maxilla, and there was a progressive increase from anterior to posterior and from alveolar to basal bone. Abstract