Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
Clin Implant Dent Relat Res. 2015 Apr;17(2):307-13. doi: 10.1111/cid.12109. Epub 2013 Jul 9.
Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is a valuable means to evaluate and secure information related to bone density and quality in human necropsy samples and small live animals.
The aim of this study was to assess the bone density of the alveolar jaw bones in human cadaver, using micro-CT. The correlation between bone density and three-dimensional micro architecture of trabecular bone was evaluated.
Thirty-four human cadaver jaw bone specimens were harvested. Each specimen was scanned with micro-CT at resolution of 10.5 μm. The bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and the bone mineral density (BMD) value within a volume of interest were measured. The three-dimensional micro architecture of trabecular bone was assessed. All the parameters in the maxilla and the mandible were subject to comparison. The variables for the bone density and the three-dimensional micro architecture were analyzed for nonparametric correlation using Spearman's rho at the significance level of p < .05.
A wide range of bone density was observed. There was a significant difference between the maxilla and mandible. All micro architecture parameters were consistently higher in the mandible, up to 3.3 times greater than those in the maxilla. The most linear correlation was observed between BV/TV and BMD, with Spearman's rho = 0.99 (p = .01). Both BV/TV and BMD were highly correlated with all micro architecture parameters with Spearman's rho above 0.74 (p = .01).
Two aspects of bone density using micro-CT, the BV/TV and BMD, are highly correlated with three-dimensional micro architecture parameters, which represent the quality of trabecular bone. This noninvasive method may adequately enhance evaluation of the alveolar bone.
微计算机断层扫描（micro-CT）是一种评估和获取人类尸体和小型活体动物牙槽骨骨密度和质量相关信息的有价值手段。
本研究旨在使用 micro-CT 评估人类尸体牙槽骨的骨密度，并评估骨密度与小梁骨三维微观结构之间的相关性。
采集了 34 个人体尸体下颌骨标本。每个标本均以 10.5μm 的分辨率进行 micro-CT 扫描。测量了感兴趣体积内的骨体积分数（BV/TV）和骨密度（BMD）值。评估了小梁骨的三维微观结构。对上颌骨和下颌骨的所有参数进行了比较。使用 Spearman's rho 检验对骨密度和三维微观结构的变量进行非参数相关性分析，显著性水平为 p<0.05。
观察到广泛的骨密度范围。上颌骨和下颌骨之间存在显著差异。下颌骨的所有微观结构参数均明显较高，最高可达上颌骨的 3.3 倍。BV/TV 和 BMD 之间观察到最线性的相关性，Spearman's rho 为 0.99（p=0.01）。BV/TV 和 BMD 与所有微观结构参数均高度相关，Spearman's rho 高于 0.74（p=0.01）。
使用 micro-CT 评估骨密度的两个方面，即 BV/TV 和 BMD，与代表小梁骨质量的三维微观结构参数高度相关。这种非侵入性方法可以充分增强对牙槽骨的评估。
