Evaluation of the palatal soft tissue thickness by cone-beam computed tomography

Objective: The purposes of this study were to measure the palatal soft tissue thickness at popular placement sites of temporary anchorage devices (TADs) by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and evaluate the age, gender, and positional differences in this parameter. Methods: The study sample consisted of 23 children (10 boys and 13 girls; mean age, 10.87 +/- 1.24 years; range, 6.7 to 12.6 years) and 27 adults (14 men and 13 women; mean age, 21.35 +/- 1.14 years; range, 20.0 to 23.8 years). Nine mediolateral and nine anteroposterior intersecting reference lines were drawn on CBCT scans of the 50 subjects, and the resultant measurement areas were designated according to their mediolateral (i.e., lateral, medial, and sutural) and anteroposterior (i.e., anterior, middle, and posterior) positions. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was performed to analyze intragroup and intergroup differences. Results: No significant age and gender differences were found (p = 0.309 and 0.124, respectively). Further, no significant anteroposterior change was observed (p = 0.350). However, the lateral area presented the thickest soft tissue whereas the sutural area had the thinnest soft tissue (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Clinical selection of the placement sites of TADs should be guided by knowledge of the positional variations in the palatal soft tissue thickness in addition to other contributing factors of TAD stability.