A cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) study of buccal plate thickness of the maxillary and mandibular posterior dentition

Background Buccal plate thickness is of clinical importance in treatment planning for implants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the buccal plate thickness in posterior dentate areas of both the maxilla and mandible using cone beam computed tomography in order to estimate the approximate distributions of this anatomic variable. Methods Two hundred and sixty‐five subjects were included for a total of nine hundred and thirty‐four roots assessed by cone beam computed tomography. CBCT scans were taken and evaluated at the ideal buccolingual cross‐sections of each root at 1 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm apical to the alveolar crest to measure buccal plate thickness. Data are reported by geometric means and 95% confidence intervals. Results Both arches demonstrated increasing buccal plate thickness from anterior to posterior. Maxillary teeth had a significant decrease in thickness from coronal to apical along the tooth root (P