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CAD/CAM - international magazine of digital dentistry, Italian Edition, No.1, 2017

research _ computed tomography Importance of the axial reference plane in computed tomography for dental implant surgery: cadaveric study L’articolo è stato pubblicato su Journal of Oral Science & Rehabilitation No. 3, 2016 Authors_Carlos Vilaplana Vivo, Jaime Vilaplana Vivo, Alfonso Miguel Sánchez, Juan Ángel Vilaplana Gómeza & Fabio Camacho Alonsoa, Spain* * School of Dentistry, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain _Abstract _Objectives The aims of the study were to assess the accuracy of dental computed tomography (CT) scans and to compare the discrepancies obtained when either the occlusal plane or the basal plane was used as the axial refer- ence plane. _Materials and methods Thirty-nine mandibles from adult cadav- ers were examined. Eighteen tomographic slices were performed for each mandible, using the occlusal and the basal planes as axial reference planes. The radiographic mea- surements obtained using the two reference planes were compared with bone measure- ments taken using a digital calibrator. _Results Discrepancies, which varied between 0.03 mm and 1.47 mm, were found between mea- surements taken from CT scans and measure- ments taken directly from the bone. When the distribution of discrepancies was consid- ered in relation to the axial reference plane used, it was found that when the basal plane was used, a higher percentage of discrepan- cies of over 0.5 mm occurred (99.44%) than when the occlusal plane was used (44.44%), with the difference being statistically signif- icant (p = 0.001). _Conclusion The discrepancies between CT radiograph- ic measurements and direct bone measure- ments should be taken into consideration in order to achieve satisfactory dental implant treatments. With regard to positioning the patient when CT scans are taken, use of the occlusal plane as axial reference will produce the most accurate measurements. _Keywords Axial reference plane, occlusal plane, bas- al plane, computed tomography, dental im- plantology. _Introduction Edentulous patients seeking dental treat- ment to restore function and esthetics have traditionally received removable complete or partial dentures. However, the use of remov- able dentures may give the patient a sense of insecurity, reduced masticatory function and taste capacity, as well as low self-esteem.1 For these reasons, approaches to treatment have turned toward dental implants, which pro- duce marked improvements in patients’ qual- ity of life and high treatment success rates.2,3 An adequate radiographic technique that will provide a sufficiently accurate assessment of the bone dimensions is of great help when planning the surgical intervention. Intra-oral and panoramic radiographs give information in two dimensions, visualizing bone morphol- ogy in a buccolingual direction, but lack the third dimension. Both techniques are only useful for a primary preoperative evaluation to obtain preliminary information about the available bone height.4 Three-dimension- 16 1_2017

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