Cortical bone thickness of black and white American adolescents

Purpose: To assess the differences in maxillary and mandibular cortical bone thickness between black and white American adolescents using CBCT images. Methods: Pre-treatment cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 69 patients, including 34 black adolescents (17 females; 17 males) and 35 white adolescents (18 females; 17 males) were studied. The Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) multifiles of each CBCT scan were imported into the Dolpin Imaging 11 3D software. Standardized orientations were used to measure the buccal and lingual cortical bone thickness in both maxilla and mandible at 16 interradicular sites. Total alveolar ridge thickness and medullary space thickness were also measured at the same interradicular sites. Results: Two-way analysis of variants showed (P<0.05) significant group differences at 3 of the 16 sites, with black adolescents having thicker cortical bone. Alveolar ridge thicknesses were significantly greater in black adolescents, except at the distal of the first molar in the mandible. Medullary thickness was also significantly greater in black adolescents, except between the first and second mandibular premolars. No statistically significant gender differences in cortical thickness were found. Males had significantly thicker alveolar ridge and medullary space than females except for distal to the first molar in the mandible. Conclusion: Black adolescents have thicker cortical bone than whites but the difference is small. There is no significant sex difference in cortical bone thickness. There is a significant difference in alveolar ridge thickness between blacks and whites. The difference in alveolar ridge thickness is due to the difference in medullary space.