ANATOMICAL VARIABILITY OF THE ALVEOLAR PROCESS OF THE MAXILLA BASED ON MULTISLICE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY DATA

Modern research methods, widely implemented in routine medical practice, open new horizons for the study of anatomical structures. The maxilla is one of the regions of the human skull that shows significant variability with age and gender. This is due to the peculiarities of tooth eruption and age-related changes in the periodontium and adjacent structures, which undoubtedly affect the structure of the alveolar process, sometimes drastically altering it over time. The aim of our study was to determine the anatomical variability of the alveolar process of the maxilla based on multislice computed tomography data.

The research was conducted based on the results of 400 spiral computed tomography scans of males and females aged 18 to 95 years with detection of the anatomical variability of the alveolar process.

The average height of the alveolar process was 14.3±0.99x10^-3 m. The thickness of the wall also showed considerable variability. It was maximal in the middle part and minimal in the lateral part of the wall, measuring 1.905±0.021x10^-3 m and 1.15±0.011x10^-3 m, respectively.

We determined its thickness, density, and identified teeth whose roots are connected to the maxillary sinus. The thickness of the alveolar process correlates with the volume of the sinus, showing a strong negative correlation (r=-0.92). Thus, with larger sinus sizes, the alveolar process has a smaller thickness. According to calculations, there is a correlation between the upper facial index and the size of the alveolar process (r=0.64). In dolichocephalic individuals, the longitudinal size is greater than in brachycephalic individuals, where the transverse size of the alveolar process prevails.