Purpose: This study aimed to investigate changes in alveolar bone width around dental implants and identify the anterior nasal spine (ANS), posterior nasal spine (PNS), and floor of the nasal cavity that can be used as reference landmarks for standardizing the orientation of different cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans.
Materials and methods: We enrolled two groups that comprised 30 implants. Two CBCT scans from the same patient after implant surgery in the first group were obtained to determine differences in the relative distance and angle between the ANS and apex of the dental implant. Then we compared the second group of patients' presurgical and postsurgical CBCT images to evaluate changes in alveolar bone width after dental implant surgery by the aforementioned bony landmarks.
Results: In the first group, no statistically significant differences were detected in the mean distance between the ANS, PNS and implant tip in different directions. In the second group, bone width increased at 1 mm (p = 0.020) and decreased at 4 mm (p < 0.001) and 7 mm (p < 0.001) below the alveolar bone crest after implant surgery.
Conclusions: Within the limitations of the present study, the ANS, PNS, and floor of the nasal cavity can be useful in standardizing the orientation of CBCT scans and alveolar bone remodeling after implant surgery varied depending on the height and direction from the alveolar bone crest based on the three landmarks.
Keywords: bone width; bony landmarks; cone-beam computed tomography; maxillary implants.
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