Evaluation of volumetry and density of mandibular symphysis bone grafts by three‐dimensional computed tomography

PURPOSE: Bone grafting before implant placing can improve the treatment in traumatized or regular implant patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the density and maximum amount of harvestable bone graft in the mandibular symphysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 15 CT-scans were obtained from 15 adult patients (10 male/five female) for the purposes of this study. The CT data, in DICOM format, were read into Mimics software from Materialize (Leuven, Belgium), with a slice thickness of 0.5 mm. The volume, density, and dimensions based on Hounsfield units (HU) were measured on the 3D symphyseal bone graft using Mimics software. RESULTS: The average bone volume calculated from the mandibular symphysis was 3491.08 +/- 772.12 mm(3). The average sized corticocancellous block that was measured was 38.75 x 11.05 x 7.80 mm. The mean bone density was 958.95 +/- 98.11 HU. CONCLUSION: The use of three-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT) in combination with a software program is a reliable means of determining the density of graft, evaluating maximal volume and dimensions of the graft that can be harvested from the mandibular symphysis region.