Purpose: Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is an important imaging technique in maxillofacial evaluations. However, application-specific image analysis methods aimed at extracting quantitative information from these images need to be further developed. The aim of this study was to provide a robust and objective method that could assess radiologic changes around dental implants after sinus elevation surgery with simultaneous implant placement.
Materials and methods: The study was performed retrospectively on patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The included patients had been CBCT scanned preoperatively, at baseline (early after surgery), and 6 months postoperatively. In order to quantify the radiologic changes, an image analysis workflow was developed based on the postoperative baseline and 6-month scans. The workflow included metal artefact reduction, registration, and a standardized protocol for semiautomatic segmentation. Validation of different steps of the method was conducted by comparing scans from all time points. Comparison of constant volumes (eg, screws and bony parts not subjected to change) was used. Additionally, the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) was used to measure the overlap of the segmentations.
Results: The study included nine maxillary sinuses from six patients. The bone formation was quantified and visualized in 3D. In the validation, no significant differences were found for the constant volumes at the different scanning time points. The DSC showed accurate results with values > 0.92.
Conclusion: The method presented in this study provides an objective and robust evaluation of bone formation around dental implants. The same methodologies can be applied in other studies of dental CBCT images, eg, for comparison of grafting materials or surgical strategies.