Tomographic characterization of edentulous areas before rehabilitation with single implant

Abstract Introduction Imaging resources are indispensable to assist the professional dental surgeon in the formulation of the diagnosis and preparation of an adequate treatment plan for the patient, being essential for the successful rehabilitation with dental implants. Objective The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to characterize the edentulous areas of patients who will be rehabilitated with single osseointegrated dental implant in the aesthetic area of the maxilla by means of computerized tomography and correlate parameters of interest. Material and method Fourteen cone beam computerized tomographies were evaluated in a program according to the following parameters: distance from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) to the bone crest (BC), distance between the BC and distance between the dental crowns of the teeth adjacent to the prosthetic space (PS), bone width and height of PS, thickness of the palate in the region of the second premolars and molars as well as the horizontal and vertical thickness of the soft tissue in the PS region. Result and discussion The results were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and the Spearman Correlation test. Weak and moderate correlations and no statistically significant differences were found in most comparisons (≤ 0.29 and ≥ 0.30 ≤ 0.49, respectively). Only for the correlation between PS mucosa thickness versus distance between CEJ and BC in the mesial tooth to PS was found significant statistical difference (p = 0.03) and moderate correlation (r = 0.56). Conclusion Cone beam computerized tomography is a viable tool for the maxillofacial region because it allowed the measurement of several parameters of soft and hard tissue of the buccal cavity useful for planning with dental implants, which may increase the predictability of successful rehabilitation treatments.