MicroCT-based evaluation of the trabecular bone quality of different implant anchorage sites for masticatory rehabilitation of the maxilla

摘要

In the severely atrophied maxilla, implant anchorage in the zygomatic bone is considered a viablealternative to conventional dental implants with preceding bone augmentation procedures. The presentmicroCT-based study compared the trabecular bone quality of the maxilla and zygomatic bone. MicroCTscanning was conducted in 12 halves of cadaver heads (5 male, 7 female) with edentulous, atrophiedmaxillae. Relevant trabecular bone quality parameters were determined in the anterior and posteriormaxilla and in the zygomatic bone and compared by region and sex. Any difference in mean valuesbetween the anterior maxilla and the zygomatic bone was insignificant. Comparison of both with theposterior maxilla presented significantly higher values for bone volume fraction, surface density, andtrabecular thickness and number, and significantly lower values for specific bone surface, structuremodel index, and trabecular separation. A significant sex-specific difference was not detected. Thepresent microCT-based analysis is, to the best of our knowledge, the first intra-individual comparison ofdifferent implant anchorage sites for masticatory rehabilitation of the maxilla. The trabecularcompartment of the zygomatic bone offered bone quality and, thus, an implant bed comparable withthose of the anterior maxilla, and both were superior to the posterior maxilla.