Computed tomograrphic study of nasal supporting bone for craniofacial implants

Objectives:The aim of this study was to determine bone availability in various locations of nasal regions for craniofacial implants by using dental computed tomograms. Methods:Bone thicknesses in nasal regions of forty-two Thai volunteers (12 male and 30 female) were measured using computed tomograms collected from Advanced Dental Technology Center. The CT data were obtained from an i-CAT cone-beam computed tomography covering the whole nasal skeleton. All volunteers did not present craniofacial anomalies and did not confront disease affecting bone or bone metabolism. General data such as age and sex were also recorded. Three-dimension reconstructions were calculated using MIMICS software. The nasal septums were located as median lines to separate left and right sides. In each side, the measurements were done in two anatomical landmarks (nasal floor and lateral wall of nasal cavity). Differences of bone availability between genders and between locations were analyzed using T-test and pair sample T-test at 5% significance level. Results:The average thickness of bone at nasal floor was 12.08+2.69 mm. At lateral wall of nasal cavity the bone was measured in two dimensions, the bone thickness was 7.23+2.14 mm. and depth was 2.44+0.74 mm. The data showed that the differences between genders were not statistically significance and all volunteer did not present the statistically differences between left and right side. Conclusions:The thickness of the nasal floor may indicate good location for craniofacial-prosthesis support implant. This data showed Thai adult nasal anatomy which aid in locating implant surgical site and designing of new prosthesis-bearing craniofacial implants.