RESISTANCE OF THE MAXILLARY RIDGE TO OCCLUSAL TRAUMA

Histories and clinical evaluations were obtained from 230 postmenopaus al women aged 48 to 56 years to determine whether the alveolar height in the edentulous anterior region of the maxillae is adversely affecte d by the presence of mandibular incisors. Many of these women lost the ir teeth in early adulthood. When all subjects were included, the heig ht of the ridge in the anterior region of the maxillae was not signifi cantly altered by presence of mandibular incisors. When the ridge heig ht was compared among those who had been edentate in the maxillae for less than 30 years, the difference between dentate and edentate subjec ts was significant. This study indicates that the alveolar ridges in t he anterior region of the maxillae where teeth were extracted early in life during the rapid phase of bone metabolism are less disposed to b ite trauma caused by the presence of the mandibular incisors than are individuals who lost their teeth in middle or old age.