Evaluation of periodontal tissues using 40MHz ultrasonography. preliminary report

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility to use high-frequency ultrasound imaging for the assessment of periodontal structures.

A commercially available ultrasound scanner (Ultrasonix SonoTouch) with a linear 1.5 cm footprint, wideband 8 - 40MHz transducer was used, with external transcutaneous approach. A number of 4 patients with healthy periodontal tissue were evaluated. All 4 bicuspids of the lower jaw were imaged from buccal incidence. A fixed landmark (no.20 gutta-percha point) was placed in the gingival sulcus, in order to measure the following dimensions: gingival sulcus depth (D1), free gingival thickness (D2), width of the periodontal space in the most coronal position, length of the supracrestal fiber (D3), height of the clinical crown (D4) and height of the anatomic crown (D5).

The 40MHz ultrasound image revealed the cortical bone, tooth crown, dental root, fixed mucosa and the gingival sulcus. The findings for D1 varied between 1.2-1.86 mm and for D2 between 0.65-1.34 mm. The smallest variation of the values was found for D3: 0.21-0.39. The mean value for the difference between D5 and D4 was 1.79 mm.

Ultrasonography provides a highly accurate and noninvasive technique for periodontal assessment. Future studies will be carried out in order to assess the correlation between clinical examination, radiology, and ultrasound measurements in patients with periodontal diseases.