Evaluation of the effect of overhanging restored teeth on alveolar bone by retrospective comparative fractal analysis.

BACKGROUND

It is important to recognize that overhanging restorations can have adverse effects on the alveolar bone. The objective of this study was to evaluate the alterations in the bone surrounding teeth with overhanging restorations on digital panoramic radiographs (DPRs) employing fractal analysis (FA).

METHODS

A total of 800 DPRs were examined, and 123 teeth presenting with overhanging restorations were identified. The alveolar bone structure around these teeth was analysed along with unrestored areas for comparison. FA was used to evaluate of the DPRs using the box-counting method. The statistical significance level was accepted as p < 0.05.

RESULTS

The study revealed that fractal dimension (FD) values were significantly lower in areas with overhanging restorations compared to healthy areas (p < 0.001). The analysis revealed that teeth exhibiting signs of overhanging restorations were predominantly located in quadrant 1 (35.8%, n = 44). The analysis revealed that 74.8% of these teeth were molars (n = 92) and 25.2% were premolars (n = 31). The statistical analysis revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in the FD of premolar and molar teeth with overhanging restoration (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The FD data indicate that overhanging restorations may adversely affect the trabecular structure of the alveolar bone. This finding suggests that careful attention to margin alignment during restorative procedures may be beneficial for the preservation of alveolar bone health.