Mineralization density and apparent density in mandibular condyle bone.

Objectives: This study evaluated a method for determining the density and distribution of bone of mandibular condyles using proprietary computerized tomography (CT) software.

Study Design: Thirty-eight condylar specimens were investigated with a high-resolution multislice CT. The density was determined by using bone density analysis algorithms available within the proprietary software. Apparent density was estimated over the total cross-sectional area, the total trabecular bone area apart from the cortical fraction, and on individually selected points. Color-coded pictures were created to demonstrate density differences.

Results: The cortical bone presented significantly higher densities than the trabecular bone. The anterior cortical bone had significantly higher densities than the posterior. The central anterior cortical and the central trabecular areas showed significantly higher densities than the medial and lateral areas.

Conclusion: This technique proved to be a valuable method for determination of the differences in density in the mandibular condyle. It shows potential in providing clinicians with an imaging modality for specific clinical use.