Difference Between Basal Bone and Alveolar Bone

The key difference between basal bone and alveolar bone is that basal bone is the osseous tissue of the mandible and maxilla except for the alveolar process while alveolar bone is the bone lining the alveolus.

Mandible and maxilla bones are the bones that form the lower jaw and upper jaw respectively. They are two major bones of our face. The mandible is the largest bone that holds the lower teeth. Moreover, it supports mastication. The maxilla is a fixed bone that holds the upper teeth. It is also important in mastication and communication. Basal bone and alveolar bone are two bones of the maxilla and the mandible. Basal bone is the osseous tissue of the mandible and maxilla, while the alveolar bone is the bone lining the alveolus.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Basal Bone
3. What is Alveolar Bone
4. Similarities Between Basal Bone and Alveolar Bone
5. Side by Side Comparison – Basal Bone vs Alveolar Bone in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Basal Bone?

Basal bone is the osseous tissue of the mandible and maxilla that is not the alveolar process. Thus, basal bone lies below the alveolar process. In other words, the alveolar process rests on the basal bone of the mandible and maxilla. In the mandibular body, basal bone is one of the two main divisions. Basal bone forms the structure of dental skeletal. Moreover, basal bone contains most of the muscle attachments. Basal bone begins to develop in the fetus even prior to teeth development. The height of the basal bone of mandible and maxilla tends to increase when ageing.

What is Alveolar Bone?

Alveolar process is the bone that possesses teeth and alveoli (tooth housings). Aleveolar process and basal bone are located together, and there is no clear separation between them. In fact, the alveolar process rests on the basal bone. The alveolar process consists of alveolar bone, cortical plate and sponge bone. Thus, alveolar bone is the bone that lines alveolus and supports the tooth. It is a highly mineralized tissue. There are two major parts of the alveolar bone as alveolar bone proper and supporting alveolar bone. Alveolar bone proper consists of bundle bone and lamellar bone. It mainly lines the tooth socket. On the other hand, supporting alveolar bone contains cortical plate and supporting spongiosa.

Alveolar bone has 0.1 to 0.5 mm thickness. To supply nerve and blood to the teeth, alveolar bone has numerous perforations that allow blood vessels and nerves. Moreover, alveolar bone undergoes extensive remodelling according to tooth movement and external stimuli. However, the presence and maintenance of the alveolar bone is tooth dependant. Most importantly, following a tooth extraction, the alveolar bone tends to resorb. Alveolar bone develops from the dental follicle.

What are the Similarities Between Basal Bone and Alveolar Bone?

Both basal bones and alveolar bones are found in maxilla and mandible.
Therefore, they are part of the mandible and maxilla bones.

What is the Difference Between Basal Bone and Alveolar Bone?

Basal bone is one of the major parts of the osseous tissue of mandible and maxillae except for the alveolar processes, while the alveolar bone is the bone that lines alveolus. So, this is the key difference between basal bone and alveolar bone. Moreover, functionally, basal bone forms the structure of dental skeletal, while alveolar bone supports teeth. Besides, another difference between basal bone and alveolar bone is that basal bone begins to develop in the fetus, while alveolar bone develops from the dental follicle.

Summary – Basal Bone vs Alveolar Bone

Basal bone is the osseous tissue of the mandible and maxilla. It forms the dental skeletal structure. Basal bone is found below the alveolar process. In contrast, basal bone is a part of the alveolar process. It is the thin bone that lines the alveolus. It has numerous perforations in order to allow blood vessels and nerves to reach the tooth. So, this summarizes the difference between basal bone and alveolar bone.

Reference:

1. Reece-Walker. “Bone and Alveolar Bone.” SlideServe, 5 Nov. 2014, Available here.
2. “Alveolar Bone.” Alveolar Bone – an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, Available here.