The Reliability of Lateral Cephalometric Projections in Evaluation of the Mandibular Edentulous Ridge Height

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of the lateral cephalometric technique in evaluation of the vertical high of the residual alveolar ridge on each side of the mandible. Material and Methods: 5 edentulous dry human mandibles were used. The crest of the alveolar ridge of the left side of each mandible was reduced using a hand file to simulate crestal alveolar bone loss while the alveolar ridge of the right side of the mandibles was left unaltered then the mandibles were sectioned at the symphysis and lateral cephalometric projections were made of both sides then for the right side only then for the left side only. The radiographic height of the mandible was measured making use of specific reference points and lines. Results: Hest indicated that the mean dimension obtained from both the radiograph of both sides and that of the right side differed significantly (P<0.01) from that of the left side while there was no significant difference between the mean dimension of both sides and that of the right side. Conclusion: The results of this work indicated that the height of the residual ridge shown in the lateral cephalogram usually represented the side of the jaw that possessed the higher level of the residual alveolar ridge. The side that possessed the lower level was not represented. In this way it is very difficult to evaluate each side of the jaw alone using this technique.