THE VALUE OF RADIOGRAPHIC PREDICTORS OF THE RATE OF MANDIBULAR RESIDUAL RIDGE RESORPTION

This study tested the relationships between the rate of mandibular residual ridge resorption and the following two variables: cortical thickness at the gonion, and the proportion of cortical bone at the symphysis. These parameters were also compared between men and women. Measurements of cortical thickness at the gonion on panoramic radiographs were compared with similar measurements on lateral cephalometric radiographs. The results showed that neither cortical thickness at the gonion nor the proportion of cortical bone at the symphysis could be used as radiographic predictors of the rate of mandibular bone resorption. The rate of resorption was significantly greater in men than in women, while cortical thickness at the gonion in women was significantly less than that in men. Furthermore, the authors concluded that cephalometric and panoramic measurements should not be used interchangeably.