Ultrasonographic evaluation of edentulous crestal bone topography: A proof-of-principle retrospective study.

Objective Edentulous crestal bone ridge assessment, an essential task for planning of implant and bone regenerative procedures, is performed through radiographs. Ultrasonography, providing point of care and cross-sectional images without radiation, could be an adjunct for this purpose. The aim was to investigate the feasibility of ultrasound (US) in assessing bone ridge width (BRW) and crestal bone surface quality (CBSQ) compared with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Study Design Records of patients who were planned for implant placement in at least 1 healed edentulous ridge space with available CBCT and US images were included. The BRWs at 1, 2, and 3 mm from the crest were measured and compared. The CBSQ agreement evaluated using a 3-tier grading system was calculated. Results A total of 45 sites were included. The mean correlation of BRW was 0.97. The mean BRW differences ranged from 0.048 mm (95% confidence interval, −0.69 to 0.78 mm) at the 1-mm level to 0.18 mm (95% confidence interval, −0.92 to 1.3 mm) at the 3-mm level. There was a 91% agreement in CBSQ between the 2 methods. Conclusions Preliminary data with a limited clinical sample size suggested that US is feasible in evaluating crestal BRW and surface quality assessment compared with CBCT.