Maxillary bone mineral density and its relationship to the bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and hip.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to measure the bone mineral density (BMD) of various regions in the maxilla before implant treatment and to investigate correlations between these values and the BMDs of the spine and hip.


METHODS
Eighteen patients were examined by means of quantitative computed tomography, and the BMD of the maxillary alveolar ridge was calculated. The same patients also underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry of the lumbar spine and the total hip. Analysis of variance was used to compare BMD values between and within individuals. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to correct for sex and body mass and to calculate the correlation between the BMD of the maxillary alveolar ridge and the BMD of the spine and hip.


RESULTS
The maxillary BMD varied significantly between individuals (P <.001) and within individuals (P <.001). The BMD of the anterior region of the maxilla was correlated significantly with the BMD of the lumbar spine (r=0.6; P <.05).


CONCLUSIONS
A site-specific evaluation of maxillary bone tissue could be of value before implant treatment.
Lindh
Christina
C
Department of Oral Radiology, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, SE-205 06 Malmö, Sweden. christina.lindh@od.mah.se
Obrant
Karl
K
Petersson
Arne
A
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015519:Bone Density; D005260:Female; D006615:Hip / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed