Evaluation of accuracy of conventional spiral tomography in estimating alveolar bone height of mandible in implant treatments

Introduction: Accurate estimation of remaining alveolar bone using conventional tomography is essential in implant treatment. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of conventional spiral tomography in determination of alveolar bone height in posterior mandibular region.Materials and methods: Thirty edentulous regions were selected in the mandible and assessed by conventional tomography. Residual bone height was measured on tomograms. Panoramic radiography was performed on patients after implant placement. The remaining bone height was measured on panoramic images. The magnification coefficient was determined by comparing the real and radiographic implant lengths. The effect of magnification was eliminated and the resultant data were used as the gold standard. Data were analyzed with SPSS 15 using paired t-test and the measurements on tomograms were compared with the gold standard (α=0.05).Results: There was a significant difference between the accuracy of radiographic measurements using the conventional spiral tomography (0.37±0.89) and the gold standard (0.29±0.81) (p value = 0.03).Conclusion: Under the limitations of the present study, the accuracy of conventional spiral tomographic images was less than the real dimensions.Key words: Dental Implants, Mandible, Tomography