Fractal Dimension as a Tool for Assessment of Dental Implant Stability—A Scoping Review

Abstract

A lot of modalities for assessing implant stability are available for clinicians, but they fail to assess trabecular changes as they are solely dependent on the operator’s skills. The use of Fractal Dimension (FD) has evolved to be used as a measure for trabecular changes depicting implant stability before and after implant placement. The objective of this systematic review was to qualitatively analyse the available scientific literature describing the use of FD as a tool to measure implant stability on the basis of trabecular changes. An electronic search in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus was carried out using relevant keywords, such as: fractal dimension; fractal analysis; dental implants; implant stability; osseointegration, etc. Studies reporting the use of FD as a tool to measure implant stability were included and subjected to qualitative analysis using ROBINS-I and Cochrane risk of bias assessment criteria. Fourteen studies were included in this review. Results showed that FD was found to be used solely as a measure of implant stability in seven studies, out of which six studies showed an increment in FD values. The majority of studies concluded with a statistical correlation between FD and respective other assessment methods used. FD may not serve as a sole indicator of implant stability; however, it can be used as an adjunct to conventional methods along with additional fractal factors.

Fractal analysis of the mandibular ramus in class II and III patients undergoing orthognathic surgery: Retrospective study trough Cone-beam Computed Tomography

“…Currently, fractal analysis has been widely employed in Dentistry, covering various areas such as the study of systemic diseases affecting the TMJ, bone consolidation around dental implants, and the effects of periodontal disease on bone microstructure [8, 13,30]. In this study, fractal analysis was used to quantify the complexity of structures, expressed numerically as fractal value (FV).…”

Mechanical Properties, Fractal Dimension, and Texture Analysis of Selected 3D-Printed Resins Used in Dentistry That Underwent the Compression Test

“…This study focused on the FD and TA of the examined samples. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, although there is a trend to examine the FD and texture of the materials [ 21 , 23 , 30 ], studies comparing the mechanical properties with FD and TA of 3D-printed materials have not been published so far. Hence, different materials fabricated for different medical uses were evaluated and compared in this study—IBT, BioMed Amber, and Dental LT Clear.…”

“…Nowadays, FD is widely used in dentistry to evaluate bone quality, and is primarily based on radiograph analysis. Via radiograph analysis, the implant stability might be rated [ 20 , 21 ]. For this reason, it could be applied interchangeably with tomography scans, as this method is easier to assess compared to the available methods of diagnostics [ 22 ].…”

Evaluation of Change in Radiographic Fractal Dimension around Dental Implants Placed with Low-Speed Drilling and Standard Drilling Protocols

“…Regardless of the technique used to assess drilling, almost all of them are analyzed both pathologically and radiologically. Sukanya Mishra et al [ 39 ], in their review work, conclude that the fractal dimension may be a value that, together with conventional methods, helps to assess the stability of the implant. They analyze the results obtained in the different studies that use this method and correlate it with those obtained with conventional methods.…”