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Objective: Mini-implant stability is primarily related to bone quality and quantity. This study evaluated alveolar
cortical bone thickness and density differences between interradicular sites at different levels from the alveolar
crest, and assessed the differences between adolescents (12-18 years of age) and adults (19-50 years of age), males
and females, upper and lower arch, anterior and posterior region of jaws and buccal and oral side.
Study Design: In this retrospective study, 48 Computed Tomography scans, performed for oral surgery purposes
were selected from dental records of 3,223 Caucasian orthodontic patients.
The SimPlant software (Materialise, Leuven, Belgium) was used to measure cortical bone thickness and density
at 13 interradicular sites and four bone levels ( 2,4,6 and 8 mm ). For the statistical analysis descriptive statistics,
Student's t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient were used.
Results: Statistically significant differences in alveolar cortical bone thickness and density between age, gender, sites
and sides were found (P<0.05). The Pearson correlation coefficient demonstrated a significant linear increasing
of thickness and density from crest to base of alveolar crest (P.0.05).
Conclusion. Adults show a thicker alveolar cortical bone than adolescents. Alveolar cortical bone thickness and
density were greater in males than in females, in mandible than in maxilla, in the posterior region than the anterior,
in oral than buccal side. There is an increase of thickness and density from crest to base of alveolar crest.
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