Methods: 8 maxillae and 8 mandibles of 6-month old pigs were examined. 3-D dental CT radiographs were analyzed for bone density (HU) and interradicular alveolar bone thickness in the buccal (B) and lingual (L) between the first and second premolar (A) and between the first and second molar (P) followed by KHN measurements from the same locations.
Results: KHN and HU were higher in posterior compared to anterior areas (p<0.015). Maxilla buccal had a higher density (A=656±35HU, P=715±57HU) than lingual (A=439±46HU, P=619±30HU, p<0.006). Maxilla buccal had higher KHN (A=23.2±3.6) than mandible (A=15.0±8.7, p<0.04), while KHN of the lingual was higher in the mandible (A=20.2±10.1) compared to maxilla (A=9.5±2.3, p<0.03). Maxilla cortical bone thickness (2.01mm) was higher than in mandible (1.51±mm, p<0.04). High correlation was found between the KHN and HU only in the mandible.
Conclusions: Hardness of interradicular zones is directly related to bone density obtained via CT. Because maxilla data distribution was lower than in mandible, the correlations between the mechanical property and bone densities were found only in the mandible.