Evaluation of bone height and bone density by computed tomography and panoramic radiography for implant recipient sites

The objective was to compare the bone height and bone density measurements of implant recipient sites by panoramic radiography and computed tomography. Thirty-seven sites of 21 patients were evaluated using both panoramic radiography and computed tomography. The bone height was measured as the vertical distance from the alveolar crest to the closest anatomical landmark. Density was compared by means of densitometric measurements. Data was evaluated using paired t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis. Although bone heights measured with the two imaging modalities differed significantly (p < 0.05), there was a significant correlation between bone density measurements (r = 0.93, p = 0.0). Measurements of bone height as well as bone density was found to be comparable using either radiographic method.