Retrospective radiographic study of potential tooth root contact of orthodontic mini-implants placed at the anterior palate

This retrospective radiographic study investigated the influence of orthodontic mini-implant position on the distance to adjacent teeth in lateral cephalograms and corresponding cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images to assess the risk of root contact during placement. Intraoral scans, lateral cephalograms and CBCT images from 34 patients were superimposed. Virtual implant placement was planned using lateral cephalograms as the reference and CBCT images as the control. Implants were simulated in median and paramedian positions at inter-implant distances of 6, 8, 10 and 12 mm. The smallest distances between implants and adjacent teeth were measured using both imaging modalities. Statistical analyses included repeated-measures analysis of variance, paired t-tests and intraclass correlation coefficients, with significance set at P ≤ 0.05. Lateral cephalograms showed decreasing distances from central incisors to canines, particularly for median-inserted implants, while CBCT images revealed increasing distances laterally for both positions. No implant-to-tooth contact was observed, with all distances exceeding 1 mm. Significant agreement between measurements from both imaging techniques was found for central and lateral incisors, but not canines. Despite lateral cephalograms underestimating actual distances, the strong correlation for incisors suggests that this method allows for reliable planning with no risk of root contact.