Evaluation of the effect of unilateral impacted canine tooth on the alveolar bone density of the mandibular condlyles: A retrospective CBCT study

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a unilateral impacted maxillary canine on the trabecular structure of the mandibular condyle using fractal analysis. The research was conducted retrospectively by evaluating cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images from 50 individuals. For each subject, the side with the impacted canine was considered the experimental group, while the contralateral side served as the control group. Fractal dimension (FD) values were calculated over 10×10 pixel regions of interest (ROI) defined exclusively within the trabecular area on coronal sections of the mandibular condyle. Measurements were performed using the box-counting method in ImageJ program (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA). According to the findings, the FD values of the condylar region on the side with the impacted canine were higher compared to the non-impacted side. However, this difference was not statistically significant (p>0,05). In individuals with a right-sided impaction, the FD values of the right condyle were higher, while in those with a left-sided impaction, the FD values of the left condyle were higher than their contralateral sides. Nevertheless, these differences were not statistically significant (p>0,05). In conclusion, although numerical differences in FD values were observed between sides in individuals with a unilateral impacted maxillary canine, these differences were not statistically significant.