Correlation of cone beam computerized tomography bone density with cutting resistance values as obtained at the time of implant placement

Purpose. To establish a correlation between calibrated cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) bone density values with cutting resistance (CR) values as obtained at the time of implant placement.Materials and Methods. Twenty native nongrafted edentulous sites were scanned using the i-CAT Classic (Imaging Sciences International Hatfield, PA). During surgery the CR was measured with a 2.2mm twist drill using the Noble Biocare OsseoCare unit (Nobel Biocare, Goteborg, Sweden). From the CBCT data calibrated gray level (GL) for the chosen ROI were calculated and then compared with the CR values.Results and Conclusions. The overall correlation was 0.611. Calibrated GL values accurately determine bone quality of native nongrafted bone sites presurgically. These values can be compared from one machine to another and to density values obtained from the MDCT. Calibrated CBCT GL values correlated positively with the CR values implying CBCT analysis can be used for presurgical assessment of bone quality.