A Method For Volumetric Evaluation of Post-Extraction Site's Alveolar Bone Change In Human Subjects

Background:Tooth extraction is one of the most common procedures in the dental practice. The treatment of the extraction site is a daily challenge, which influences the post-extraction bone resorption. Purpose:The purpose of the current short communication is to showcase a novel methodology for volumetric evaluation of bone resorption after tooth extraction. Materials and Methods: In order to present the proposed methodology a plaster cast from a silicon mold is prepared. The upper first molar is trimmed simulating a fresh extraction site. A 3D scan is performed with the Trios intraoral scanner and a virtual study model is generated. A second trimming procedure is performed in order to simulate bone resorption and a second model is digitized. The volumetric change of the bone in the post-extraction site is assessed via superimposition of 3d models. The resulting stereolithography models are imported in suitable software. An alignment procedure is performed with the "best fit" algorithm. After scaling, Hausdorff distance and volume of the differences between the models are measured. A color map and histogram are generated for visualization purposes. Results:The results obtained from stereolithographic models processed with appropriate software make it possible to make a very accurate assessment of linear and volumetric bone changes preoperatively and postoperatively. Conclusion:The proposed method might become a very useful tool for assessing postoperative bone resorption. It is necessary to evaluate the proposed methodology in a clinical setting.