CBCT-Based Safety Distance for Implant Placement Near the Inferior Alveolar Canal

A New Concept of Safety Distance to Place Implants in the Area of the Inferior Alveolar Canal to Avoid Neurosensory Disturbance: A Retrospective CBCT Study

o evaluate the radiologic proximity of mandibular dental implants placed less than 2 mm from the inferior alveolar canal using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), and to determine the relationship between implant-canal distance and the occurrence of postoperative neurosensory disturbances.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age ≥ 21 years.
2. Implants placed in mandibular first/second premolar or molar positions (Froum et al., 2021).
3. Patients without neurosensory changes following implant placement and healing (Froum et al., 2021).
4. Patients with neurosensory changes after implant placement, including paresthesia, anesthesia, dysesthesia (and neuralgia where applicable) (Froum et al., 2021).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Incomplete records preventing outcome ascertainment (Froum et al., 2021).
2. Refusal/unavailability of postoperative CBCT when clinically required for evaluation (Froum et al., 2021).
3. Poor-quality CBCT scans or scatter artifacts interfering with evaluation (Froum et al., 2021).
4. Contraindications for radiographs (e.g., pregnancy/breastfeeding) in cases where additional imaging would otherwise be clinically required (Froum et al., 2021).
5. Implants placed after mental foramen