The purpose of the present study was to chart the thickness of the parietal bone and establish its relationship with the cephalic index and sex aiming at improving current knowledge and guidance for obtaining calvarial bone auto-graft material. Both left and right parietal bones of 150 skulls of adult human cadavers classified as either dolicho-, meso-, or brachicephalic, and as either male or female had their thickness measured at 3 levels – superior (S), middle (M) and inferior (I) – and at 3 points – anterior (a), middle (m) and posterior (p) – in each level, all evenly laid out. No relevant differences in thickness whether comparing sex or cephalic index was evidenced. The thickest measurements were found at points located at superior and middle levels in middle and posterior positioning – Sm, Sp, Mm and Mp – with median values ranging from about 5.5mm to 7.13mm. At inferior level and posterior positioning, thickness median values ranged from 4.71 to 5.84mm. Safer harvesting of bone graft material occurs in Sm, Sp, Mm and Mp areas of the parietal bone. Only exceptionally should Ip domain be used, whereas Sa, Ia and Im regions should be considered non-donor sites.
KEY WORDS: Parietal bone; Cephalic index; Bone grafting; Oral surgery.
