Computed densitometry of panoramic radiographs in evaluation of bone healing after enucleation of mandibular odontogenic keratocysts.
OBJECTIVE
to investigate bone formation after enucleation of mandibular odontogenic keratocysts (keratocystic odontogenic tumours) by computed densitometry of preoperative and post-operative panoramic radiographs.


METHODS
fifty-eight patients with mandibular keratocysts were treated by surgical enucleation and primarily closed without grafting. The largest diameters of the cysts were 3.5 cm to 7.1 cm. Post-operative clinical and radiographic examinations were performed at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Bone density of the residual cavity was measured on the preoperative and postoperative panoramic radiographs with Digora through a greyscale of 254 tonalities. Student t test was used for comparison of bone density values of different time periods.


RESULTS
progressive bone formation in the residual cavity was observed after enucleation of mandibular odontogenic keratocysts. The mean increase of bone density was 6.85% at post-operative 1 month, 22.61% at 3 months, 49.45% at 6 months and 71.77% at 12 months in comparison with that of the preoperative radiograph. Although increase in bone density was not significantly different between the post-operative first 3 months and second 3 months, this increase was significantly higher in the first 6 months than that in the later 6 months (P < 0.05). No significant correlation was found between increase of bone density and patient gender or the maximal diameter of the cysts.


CONCLUSIONS
bone regeneration could progressively occur in the defect area without grafting materials after enucleation of mandibular odontogenic keratocysts, with significant increase of bone density at 6 months post-operatively.
Department of Prosthodontics, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, P.R. China.
Yi
Y
Zhao
Bing
B
Liu
Shi Ping
SP
Wang
Yi Ning
YN
Wang
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015519:Bone Density; D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008336:Mandibular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009807:Odontogenic Cysts / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D019252:Radiography, Dental, Digital / Q000379:methods*; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic / Q000379:methods*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult