Background: Dental implants are a popular treatment option to replace the edentulous space. The relationship of the edentulous sites with adjacent anatomical structures should be clearly demarcated before initiating the implant treatment since the success rate of the implant depends on the factors like anatomical structures, dimensions of alveolar bone and bone density.
Aim and Objectives: The purpose of the study is to assess the location, occurrence, variations of anatomical structures of the edentulous site and to compare with age, gender, and the edentulous period.
Materials and method: We reviewed the CBCT images of 220 edentulous patients (110 males and 110 females) between 20-65 years of age requiring prosthetic rehabilitation through root-form endosseous implants. Using all the data and calculated rates of anatomical variations, comparisons based on age and gender were performed. The correlation between the edentulous period (EDP) with the distance between the alveolar crest and the anatomical structures was determined.
Results: Morphology of anatomical structures like the nasopalatine canal, course type of posterior superior alveolar artery, the incidence of maxillary sinus septa, visualization of the lingual foramen, presence of accessory lingual foramen, and accessory mandibular canal showed significant gender difference. Age-related results showed that as age increases the distance between the posterior superior alveolar artery and the alveolar crest decreases.
Conclusion: CBCT is one of the revolutionary 3D imaging that provides significant contributions in the pre-implant radiographic assessment.
Keywords: Cone beam computed tomography, maxilla, mandible, implant assessment, anatomical structures, variations.