an assessment of the accuracy of ridge – mapping versus ct - scan in determination residual alveolar ridge width

background & aim: dental implants should be surrounded with at least 1mm bone. assessing ridge width is an important part to achieve this goal. the use of ridge mapping to assess bone levels available avoids some of the problems associated with ct-scanning. the aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of ridge-mapping compared to ct-scan in determination of bony ridge widths. methods & materials: a modified surgical stent was designed to locate the beaks of ridge-mapping calipers at the same points on the jaw during the two measurements. 52 implant sites in 11 cases were studied. measurements were made at 3mm and 6mm distances from the crest of the ridge in each implant sites. two measurements, one on ct-scan and the other one by caliper was done. mean, standard deviation, paired sample test (t-value, p-value), a within subject correlation coefficient, coefficient of reliability and 95% ci for coefficient of reliability was calculated. results: a total of 104 measurements were made at 52 implant placement sites. according to the paired sample test there were not significantly different between ct-scan and ridge-mapping measurements (p>0.05). conclusion: the present results suggest that it is possible to use ridge-mapping to determine the ridge-width instead of ct-scan. ridge-mapping can provide reliable information about bone levels, which result in avoiding exposure to radiation and reducing the cost for the patients. however it is suggested to use other methods for complicated patients.j dent sch 2006 24(3): 3