Acrylic Customized X-Ray Positioning Stent for Prospective Bone Level Analysis in Long-Term Clinical Implant Studies

Background: One of the greatest challenges in implant clinical trials is the correct appraisal of bone levels throughout the trial span. This poster describes a technique to produce individualized X-ray positioning devices for obtaining optimally projected intraoral radiographs of dental implants with long term stability. Materials and Methods: An X-ray positioning device was built for Gendex® Visualix® eHD sensor, using the Dentsply rinn XCP-DS® system individualized by the incorporation of the bite piece within an acrylic stent to perform successive standardized radiographs to patients. X-ray tube stabilization was achieved with polivinylsiloxane. Series of 3 radiographs were taken to each patient in different moments. Specific linear measurements as the implant diameter (mesio-distal width) and the height between consecutive threads (thread pitch) were made using the software Image J 1.46r to all radiographs to determine the reproducibility and accuracy of the procedure. Image corregistration was also performed on every pair of radiographs. Results: The intra-class correlation coefficient for the mesio-distal width was 0.964 [(0.920 - 0.986) 95% CI] (p 0.01) and 0.990 [(0.976 - 0.996) 95% CI] (p 0.01) for the thread pitch. Conclusion: The customized sensor holder produced images proper for radiographic examination of dental implants in different moments, allowing the reduction of radiation dose given to the patient. Keywords: implant, radiovisiography, reproductibility, accuracy, corregistration