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Magnetic Resonance applications in dental implantology: technical notes and preliminary results
E Salvolini1, L De Florio, L Regnicolo
1Istituto di Scienze Odontostomatologiche, Ospedale Umberto I, Ancona, Italy.
Purpose:
To evaluate the possible use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the field of dental implantology, for identifying the mandibular nerve, as proposed by several authors.
Materials And Methods:
MRI was used for the study of the mandible in ten subjects (five healthy volunteers and five subjects awaiting dental implants). Imaging was performed on a 1.0-T MR scanner with a brain coil. T2 TSE, T1 spin-echo and T2 gradient-echo sequences were performed, both parallel and perpendicular to the horizontal portion of the mandible, with a thickness of 3 mm.
Results:
In all the subjects MRI clearly identified the intraosseous course of the inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle within the mandibular canal.
Conclusions:
MRI appears useful for the depiction of the mandibular canal before dental implantation. Further studies are required to compare the accuracy of MRI and CT based on a statistically significant sample.