Assessment of the mandibular buccal shelf for orthodontic anchorage: Influence of side, gender and skeletal patterns.

Objectives: To evaluate bone height and thickness in the mandibular buccal shelf region and to compare differences between anatomical sites according to gender, side and vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns.

Settings And Sample Population: Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) images of 94 subjects (51 females and 43 males) were previously obtained as part of preoperative planning for orthognathic surgery.

Methods: Measurements were performed in three different regions of the mandibular buccal shelf: mesially, towards the central groove and distally to the second molars.