Alveolar bone defects in adults reporting for orthodontic treatment - A CBCT study

Abstract

Identifying alveolar bony fenestration and dehiscence preceding orthodontic treatment, especially arch expansion, is needed. An unrevealed and undiagnosed buccal alveolar bone defect leads to treatment relapse and further loss of bony support. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of posterior alveolar bony dehiscence and fenestration in adults undergoing orthodontic treatment. A total of 20 subjects in the age range 18-35 years were selected for this study randomly and their CBCT records were retrieved from the Department of Orthodontics, Saveetha dental college. All statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Chi-square test was used to determine the association of extent of fenestrations and dehiscence between males and females. Females presented with wider and extensive dehiscence defects than males (p=0.019, p<0.05). On the other hand, there was a statistically non-significant association of fenestration severity between males and females. (p=0.178, p>0.05) Within the limits of this study, it was observed that females presented with more severe bony alveolar dehiscence than males.