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

IntroductionThe 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.MethodsThis 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.ResultsThere 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.ConclusionsClinicians 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.