A radiologic method for determining the thickness of the hard crown tissues

This study describes a radiologic method that provides a reliable evaluation of the thickness of the hard crown tissues of the tooth scheduled for prosthetic and conservative preparation. The first stage consisted of calculating the discrepancy between the actual dimensions of the specimen under examination and the dimensions of the same specimen as measured and radiographed. Some coefficients of distortion were calculated for the distance(s) more usually involved clinically. Radiographs were made by using the "paralleling" technique. In the second stage, radiographs were made of 83 extracted teeth (22 incisors, 12 canines, and 51 premolars). On the resulting radiographs some prefixed distances were measured. Finally, to gain an anatomic comparison of the values obtained radiologically, 24 of the previously radiographed teeth were sectioned along the sagittal plane at the diameter, and measurements were made and compared with the radiologic data to which the correction coefficients had been applied.