Relationship between bone mineral density and tooth loss in elderly Japanese women.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between vertebral bone mass and tooth loss and jaw bone mass in elderly Japanese women.


METHODS
Mandibular cortical bone mass, alveolar bone height and number of teeth present (total, anterior, and posterior) were compared with the 3rd lumbar vertebral bone mineral density (L3BMD), measured by dual energy computed tomography (DEQCT), in 90 Japanese women by means of multiple regression analysis, controlling for body mass index, menopausal status, years since menopause and self-reported periodontal condition.


RESULTS
Mandibular cortical bone mass and number of posterior teeth were associated with both alveolar bone height and L3BMD, but there was no association between alveolar bone height, number of anterior teeth present and L3BMD.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the loss of posterior teeth may be associated with a decrease not only in alveolar bone height, but also alveolar bone mineral density (BMD). The latter may be related to a decrease of lumbar vertebral BMD.
Taguchi
A
A
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Hiroshima University School of Dentistry, Japan.
Suei
Y
Y
Ohtsuka
M
M
Otani
K
K
Tanimoto
K
K
Hollender
L G
LG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015519:Bone Density; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008334:Mandible / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017698:Postmenopause; D011859:Radiography; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000209:etiology*