[Evaluation of the color digital subtraction technique in assessing peri-implant bone changes in dental X-ray imaging]

ABSTRACT

To report the results of evaluation of the color digital subtraction technique in assessing quality and quantity peri-implant bone changes in dental x-ray imaging. Twenty dental implants were performed in the maxillary posterior regions of 20 patients [age range 22 - 39]. Digital periapical radiographic images were taken for implants in 5 consecutive follow up visits and processed using Emago advanced/5.3 software program. A region of interest [ROI] were determined in the mesial cervical area of each implant in the resulted images from which the total surface resorption [TS], the surface of bone resorption [RS] and the radiographic bone density alteration were calculated for comparison. Color subtraction precisely determined the bone alterations [TS and RS] as indicated by the statistically significant inverse relationship between each of them with radiographic bone density alteration; however, it was higher for RS [0.914 - 0.984] than TS [0.549 - 0.897]. Color coding logarithm of digital color subtraction technique in X-ray dental imaging is precise in detecting and computing the quantitative and qualitative peri-implant bone changes