OSTEOPOROSIS AND ORAL BONE LOSS

This paper is a review of the literature on the possible association b etween osteoporosis and oral bone loss, with an emphasis on radiologic al studies, Such an association was first suggested in 1960, Subsequen t histomorphometric and microradiographic studies showed that after th e age of 50 there was a marked increase in the cortical porosity of th e mandible, with this increase being greater in the alveolar bone than the mandibular body; and that with this increase in porosity, there w as a concomitant decrease in bone mass, which appeared to be more pron ounced in females than in males, with the loss in bone mineral content estimated to be 1.5% per year in females and 0.9% in males, These stu dies also demonstrated a considerable amount of variation in the amoun ts of cortical and trabecular bone within and among individuals, Subse quent clinical studies reported associations between the bone densitie s of jaws and (1) metacarpals, (2) forearm bones, (3) vertebrae and (4 ) femurs, These studies indicated that women had lower mandibular bone mineral content (BMC) than men and that age-related loss of bone was more pronounced in women after the age of 50 years than in men of the same age, as was the case for the rest of the body, It was suggested t hat systemic factors responsible for osteoporotic bone loss may combin e with local factors (periodontal diseases) to increase rates of perio dontal alveolar bone loss, Although not all studies found associations between osteoporosis and oral bone loss, the conclusion of this revie w is that such an association exists; yet additional longitudinal inve stigations are needed to confirm this, and before the implications of this association could be fully utilized in clinical dentistry, inexpe nsive methods must be developed for sensitive and specific measures of oral bone loss.