Assessments of trabecular bone density at implant sites on CT images

ObjectivesTo evaluate the association between trabecular bone density measurements of potential implant sites made on axial DICOM images (DentaCT software) and on the same images with eFilm workstation, to correlate bone densities in Hounsfield units (HU) with subjective classification, and to establish a quantitative scale for each bone quality class.Study designTwenty-seven maxillary and 27 mandibular computed tomographic (CT) examinations of 75 potential implant sites were selected. Trabecular bone density was evaluated with DentaCT and eFilm. Bone quality was subjectively evaluated by 2 examiners. Descriptive statistics, between- and within-group comparison, correlation analysis, and Bland-Altman plot were used for data analysis.ResultsDentaCT measurements were higher than eFilm (P < .001). Bone type 2 was the most prevalent, and bone density was significantly reduced from bone types 1 to 4. Quantitative parameters ranged as follows: bone type 4 <200 HU, bone types 2 and 3 >200 to <400 HU, and bone type 1 >400 HU.ConclusionDifferent qualities of bone can be found in any of the anatomical regions studied (anterior and posterior sites of maxilla and mandible), which confirms the importance of a site-specific bone tissue evaluation prior to implant installation.