Mandibular condylar dimensions: Correlation between 3D tomography and dried skull measurements

Objective Compare the anatomical dimensions of mandibular condyles with the same CBCT measurements. Methods Four landmarks were identified on the condyles of dried skulls and are measured with their corresponding areas in CBCT images: Right Width of Condyle (RW), Left Width of Condyle (LW), Right Length of Condyle (RL), and Left Length of Condyle (LL). Results With respect to direct measurements on the dry skulls, statistically significant differences were found between sexes (p < 0.001). When the real values were compared with the CBCT, it was observed that the bias depends on the magnitude of the measurement. It means that there is an underestimation for smaller values and an overestimation for larger values. Conclusion CBCT is reliable imaging modality, but when compared real measures of condyle length are more reliable then width.