Panoramic and tomographic dimensional determinations for maxillary osseointegrated implants. Comparison of the morphologic information potential of two and three dimensional radiographic systems.

Accurate information on available bone volume is of decisive importance in dental implantology. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the correlation between maxillary alveolar bone height measured on panoramic radiographs and on tomographic radiographs with a facio-lingual dimension of at least 5 mm. The alveolar bone height was recorded in 683 edentulous and dentate regions in 100 patients. The mean bone height (m +/- SD) in panoramic radiography for all regions was 11.90 +/- 3.60 mm and in tomography 8.20 +/- 4.33 mm. The differences in bone height recorded by the two techniques were greater in edentulous regions than in dentate regions, and the differences increased in regions where the available bone height was small. For preimplant assessment of available bone height in the maxilla, tomography is recommended for all regions intended for implants.