Title
Evaluation of buccal bone thickness and its influence on esthetic outcomes around anterior implants: A prospective CBCT study
Authors
Wagisha Barbi1,*, Priti Jaiswal2, Richa Singh3, Deepak B. Jagtap4, K.H. Sudheer5, Malik Abdul Waheed6
Affiliation
1Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Buddha institute of Dental Sciences & Hospital, Patna-800026, Bihar, India; 2Department of Prosthodontics, Ranjeet Deshmukh Dental College & Research Centre, Nagpur 440019, Maharashtra, India; 3Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Shree Bankey Bihari Dental College & Research Center, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India; 4Department of Dentistry, K.J. Somaiya medical college, Sion, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400021, India; 5Department of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Buddha Institute of Dental Sciences & Hospital, Gandhinagar, Kankadbagh, Patna 800026, India; 6Department ofPeriodontics, Saraswati Dhanwantari Dental College and Hospital, Pathri Road, Parbhani, Maharashtra 431401, India; *Corresponding author
Wagisha Barbi - E-mail: wagishabarbie@gmail.com
Priti Jaiswal - E-mail: dr.priti.jaiswal@gmail.com
Richa Singh - E-mail: richashishodia@hotmail.com
Deepak B. Jagtap - E-mail: jagtap.drdeepak2@gmail.com
K.H. Sudheer - E-mail: sudheerortho@gmail.com
Malik Abdul Waheed - E-mail: malik.abdul214@gmail.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received August 1, 2026; Revised August 31, 2026; Accepted August 31, 2026, Published August 31, 2026
Abstract
Facial bone thickness is a major determinant of peri-implant tissue stability in the esthetic zone, but the threshold associated with favorable clinical appearance remains uncertain. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the baseline buccal bone thickness around anterior maxillary implants and its association with 12-month facial bone remodeling, mucosal recession and Pink Esthetic Score in 72 adults receiving a single implant. Buccal bone thickness was measured by cone-beam computed tomography at implant placement and 12 months; sites were categorized as thin (<1.5 mm) or thick (≥1.5 mm) and midfacial recession, keratinized mucosal width, mucosal thickness, papilla level and Pink Esthetic Score were recorded. Thick-bone sites showed less buccal bone reduction (0.39 ± 0.21 mm vs 0.74 ± 0.28 mm), less midfacial recession (0.36 ± 0.25 mm vs 0.82 ± 0.37 mm) and a higher Pink Esthetic Score (12.6 ± 1.4 vs 10.8 ± 1.7; p<0.001), with baseline thickness remaining an independent predictor after adjustment. Thus, buccal bone thickness of at least 1.5 mm was associated with greater facial tissue stability and superior 12-month esthetic outcomes around anterior implants.
Keywords
Buccal bone thickness, anterior implant, esthetic outcome, Pink Esthetic Score, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), mucosal recession
Citation
Barbi et al. Bioinformation 22(8): 5475-5479 (2026)
Edited by
Hiroj Bagde
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
