[Preoperative radiographic examinations for edentulous jaws with osseointegrated implants]

Radiography is an essential tool in treatment of the edentulous jaw with osseointegrated implants. Radiographic examinations are made 1) preoperatively in treatment planning, 2) as intermediate controls during surgical and prosthetic procedures, and 3) postoperatively in longitudinal control. In the present paper the purposes of the different examinations are summarized, and the radiographic techniques used by the Department of Radiology, Royal Dental College, Copenhagen, in treatment with titanium implants a.m. Brånemark are described. Panoramic rotational radiography, cephaloradiography, intraoral projections, and tomography are used at different stages and for different purposes. The superiority of the tomographic technique for depiction of cross-sectional images of the alveolar ridge is emphasized. The problems of interpreting tomograms are explained, and the wide variability in the anatomy of the osseous alveolar ridge is demonstrated.