Frequency Distribution of Edentulous Posterior Mandibular Ridge Types using Cone Beam Computed Tomography in an Iranian Population

The existing bone is regarded as an important criteria in dental implants. In this regard, the radiographic modality is of great significance in quantifying the remaining bone, and CBCT accurately represents height and width of the existing bone. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the frequency distribution of the edentulous posterior mandibular ridge types using cone beam computed tomography in an Iranian population.
In this cross-sectional descriptive study, CBCT scans of 127 patients with full edentulous mandible with an average age of 61.15 were evaluated who referred to a radiology clinic in Tehran. The images were analyzed applying OnDemand3D application and bone height and width of each area were determined. To analyze the collected data, SPSS software (ver,17) was employed applying Fisher's exact test.
The ridges were classified in 4 different groups (A,B,B-w,C-w). The frequency of ridge types A and B in male and ridge types B-w and C-w in females were demonstrated to be higher. An increase in age led to a reduction in the frequency of type A and a rise in the frequency of type C-w. The mean bone height was higher in males in all areas. In addition, the mean bone width was higher in males in all areas except for the first molar area.
The study results indicated that as the age increases, the height of edentulous mandible reduces, while no significant relationship was detected between the bone width and aging. As a result, with aging the evolution of bone was held to be from type A to type C-W.