Radiographic Estimation of Pterygoid Pillar for Implant Placement in Indian Population- a CBCT Based Analysis.

Aim: The study was designed to improve the knowledge of the morphological characteristics of the pterygoid pillar by anatomical three-dimensional analysis to improve pterygoid implants surgical planning Material and method: A cross-sectional study conducted at Rajas Dental College and hospital. 40 participants (Group 1: age 20–40 years and Group 2: age 40–60 years) who had undergone Cone beam computed tomography analysis were included in the study. Radiographic measurements for the pterygomaxillary width, height, density and angulation were tabulated and statistical analysis was performed for the two groups. IBM SPSS software version 26.0 was used to for analysis. Independent t test was performed for comparison between the groups. Results: The mean age of participants in group 1 was 31.05 ± 4.51 and group 2 was 48.50 ± 5.61. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups for both the right and left sides for the pterygoid joint width. Similarly, no significant difference was seen between group 1 and 2 for the measured height (in mm) of the joint for the female patients and on right side for the male patients. However, on the left side the difference in the joint height was found to be significant (p = 0.012).The mean densities of the pterygoid region for male and female participants were comparable for both the groups. The angulation was comparable for both the groups except for the right side of male patients which showed statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Significant variations can be encountered in the morphological characteristics. Knowledge regarding the variation in width, height, density of this region and angulation of implant placement is extremely important especially for the inexperienced hands. Radiographic assessment and pre-surgical planning should be performed to study these characteristic for achieving predictable outcomes.