Mandibular buccal shelf and infrazygomatic crest thicknesses in patients with different vertical facial heights.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to use cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to determine bone thickness in the mandibular buccal shelf (MBS) and the infrazygomatic crest (IC) in individuals with different vertical facial heights for ultimate placement of miniscrews.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 100 individuals aged at least 16 years, of whom 58 were women, and 42 were men. The mean age was 19.18 years (± 5.5 standard deviation). The patients' facial height was determined by the gonial angle. Cross-sectional slices of the MBS and IC were obtained with CBCT to evaluate bone thickness for the insertion of miniscrews in these extra-alveolar sites. Spearman's nonparametric test was used to correlate the gonial angle with MBS and IC thickness. The level of significance was 5%.

RESULTS

The gonial angle ranged from 102.4° to 143.2°. Bone thickness in the MBS increased posteriorly, whereas bone thickness in the IC decreased posteriorly. There was an inversely proportional correlation between the gonial angle and the MBS. There was no correlation between the IC and the gonial angle.

CONCLUSIONS

Short-faced individuals had higher bone thickness values in the MBS than long-faced ones. There was no correlation between the patients' vertical face height and the bone width in the IC. The best site to install miniscrews in the MBS is buccal to the second molar distal root, whereas in the IC, it is buccal to the first molar mesiobuccal root. CBCT may be necessary to install extra-alveolar miniscrews correctly, especially in the IC.