Structural and radiological parameters for the characterization of jawbone

Stoppie, Nele; Pattijn, Veerle; Cleynenbreugel, Tim; Wevers, Martine; Vander Sloten, Jos; Ignace, Naert

Abstract and keywords

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the Hounsfield values of selected bone sites on a computed tomography (CT) scan of the jaw and to investigate the relationship between this radiological parameter and structural parameters.

Materials and methods: A selection of 24 bone samples out of eight cadaver human jaws was made. The following parameters were measured: Hounsfield value in the jaw (HU₁) determined by a first CT scan, Hounsfield value of the excised bone specimen (HU₂) by a second CT scan, bone mineral density (BMD) by a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, bone volume (BV/TV) by the microfocus CT scan, first peak transmission time (T_US-1) and first zero crossing transmission time (TUS-2) by an ultrasound measurement and Young's modulus (E_MECH) by a compression test.

Results: Thirteen specimens were composed of a mix of trabecular and a small amount of cortical bone, while another 11 specimens were composed of trabecular bone only. A good correlation was found between the HU value of the specimen (HU₂) and BMD (ρ=0.99), BV/TV (ρ=0.97), T_US-1 (ρ=−0.83), TUS-2 (ρ=−0.87) and E_MECH (ρ=0.83). For the pure trabecular bone specimens, the HU value of the excised bone specimen (HU2) was highly correlated (ρ=0.95) with the HU value of the total jaw scan (HU₁). For mixed trabecular–cortical bone specimens, this relationship was weak (ρ=0.57).

Conclusion: With the current CT scan technology, predictions of the mechanical properties of trabecular jaw bone based on Hounsfield values were only valid for jaws with a thin layer of cortical bone. For jaws with a thicker cortical layer, the prediction of the mechanical properties decreased significantly.

Keywords: compression; CT scan; DXA; hounsfield; jawbone; micro‐CT; ultrasonography

Links

DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0501.2005.01204.x

PubMed: 16584407

WoS: 000235891700003

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Cited By (4)

Year	Entry
2018	Zhao S, Arnold M, Ma S, Abel RL, Cobb JP, Hansen U, Boughton O. Standardizing compression testing for measuring the stiffness of human bone. Bone Joint Res. August 2018;7(8):524-538.
2010	Lievers WB, Waldman SD, Pilkey AK. Minimizing specimen length in elastic testing of end-constrained cancellous bone. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. January 2010;3(1):22-30.
2009	Djibo AM-D. An in-Vitro Surrogate Model of the Human Jaw for the Biomechanical Evaluation of Dental Implants [Master's thesis]. Purdue University; May 2009.
2009	Lievers WB. Effects of Geometric and Material Property Changes on the Apparent Elastic Properties of Cancellous Bone [PhD thesis]. Queen's University; April 2009.