Evaluation of condylar cortical bone thickness in patients with different vertical facial dimensions using cone-beam computed tomography.

Abstract

Background The aim of this study is to evaluate through computed tomography differences in cortical plate thickness of condyle in patients with different facial vertical skeletal pattern.Methods The final sample of this retrospective study included CBCT exams of 60 adult subjects (mean age 33.2 ± 5.6), selected from the digital archive of a private practice. The subjects were assigned to 3 different groups according to the values of the Frankfurt-mandibular plane angle: hyper- normo- and hypodivergent group. The volume rendering of the mandible was obtained and three condylar points were marked on it: median pole, lateral pole and the most cranial point. For each considered reference point the minimum distance between external and internal cortical surface was measured, obtaining three different outcomes: median pole, lateral pole and cranial point cortical bone thickness. The measurement was executed by means of Mimics software by the same expert operator in specific scan views.Results The cortical bone thickness of hyperdivergent patients was found to be statistically thicker than normodivergent patients and hypodivergent patients. Cortical bone thickness of normodivergent patients was found thicker than hypodivergent patients. All the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). The Person correlation coefficient showed a statistically significant correlation (p<.001) between the Frankfurt-mandibular plane angle and the evaluated cortical bone thickness outcomes.Conclusion Facial biotype characteristics that define vertical facial skeletal pattern affect the cortical bone thickness of mandibular condyle.