RESUMO
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the measurements of the mandibular canal in differentpatterns of reabsorbed alveolar ridges, using multidetector computed tomography in order toevaluate the relationship of the mandibular canal with the cortex of the mandible remains. Methods:Central cross-sectional slice of 30 edentulous alveolar ridges in the mandibular first molar regionof otherwise healthy patients using multidetector computed tomography were analyzed. Horizontaland vertical lines were performed tangent to the corticals of the mandible and mandibular canal.Fishers exact test, Spearman test and linear regression were used for statistical analysis.Significance level for all statistical tests was 95%. Results: The height of the mandible and thedistance of mandibular canal to superior cortical in males were significantly higher when comparedwith females (p<0.05). When the height of the mandibular bone was correlated to the classificationof edentulous jaws, significant differences were observed when comparing the three types (III, IVand V) as well as between III and IV type. Conclusions: The results of the present study showthat the measurements for dental implant placement in the posterior region of the mandible areaffected by the different patterns of bone resorptions. It was also demonstrated the importance ofthe computed tomography in the process of planning dental implant placements.