Flattening of the posterior slope of the articular eminence of completely edentulous patients compared to patients with maintained occlusion in relation to age using computed tomography

Abstract

Background: The posterior slope of the articular eminence of completely edentulous patients compared to patients with maintained occlusion shows significant flattening. This study aimed to correlate between the flattening of the posterior slope of the articular eminence, with dental status, age, genders, on both sides using computed tomography. Materials and Methods: The sample of the present study was a total of 117 Iraqi subjects, who admitted to the maxillofacial department at Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital in Al-Najaf city. The examination was performed on CT scanner; the eminence inclination was measured in two methods using sagittal section. Results: Clinically, the inclination of articular eminence was higher in edentulous subjects than in dentate subjects. While no statistically significant differences were found in the eminence inclination between the age groups. No statistically significant differences were found between the right and left side measurements or between female and male subjects. Conclusion: There were no statistically significant differences in eminence inclination according to sex, age and between right and left side. The flattening of the articular eminence was significantly higher in completely edentulous patients than in patients with maintained occlusion.