Evaluation on palatal cortical bone density for mini-implant placement in adults by cone beam computed tomography

Abstract:

Objective：To evaluate the cortical bone densities of the palatal area using cone beam computed tomography（CBCT）.Methods：CBCT scans of 107 adults（51 men，56 women，20 to 40 years old） were selected and reconstructed. Palatal cortical bone den－sity was measured in Hounsfield units（HU） at 28 sites. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test the intragroup differ－ences of cortical bone density，and the relationship between gender were analyzed by t-test. Results：The maximum value of palatal cortical bone densities was （976.24±138.66） HU，and the minimum value was （460.45±183.33） HU. There were significant differ－ences between the male and female groups in all sites（P＜0.05），except Y0X0，Y8X0，Y8X6，Y12X6，Y20X6，Y20X9，Y24X6 and Y24X9. Palatal cortical bone densities showed a tendency to decrease posteriorly（P=0.000）. The cortical bone densities at locations that 3 mm from the midpalatal suture to lateral side were greater than at midpalatal suture in the anterior palate（P＜0.05）. Conclusion：The distribution of palatal cortical bone densities in adults are obtained by CBCT. These data might provide valuable information for selecting sites to place mini-implants in the palate.