Objective: We evaluated the thickness of the facial alveolar bone wall at the maxillary incisors based on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images.
Materials and methods: The CBCT images of 60 patients were collected. We measured the distance between the cemento-enamel junction to alveolar bone crest (CEJ-ABC) and the facial alveolar bone width at levels 1 (P1), 2 (P2) and 5 (P3) mm apical to the bone crest.
Results: The P2 and P3 scores had a statistically significant negative relationship with age, and the CEJ-ABC scores had a statistically significant positive relationship with age for all samples. Regarding the CEJ-ABC scores, there were no statistically significant differences between genders. However, the P1 values of tooth 11 and 21 were statistically significantly greater for female patients, and the P2 value of tooth 22 was statistically significantly greater for male patients.
Conclusion: The bone in the anterior maxillary area is very thin, only rarely meeting the minimum of 2 mm necessary for optimal aesthetic and functional results. Thus, for most patients, adjunctive augmentation procedures may be needed for implant treatment.