title: The differences in panoramic mandibular indices and fractal dimension between patients with and without spinal osteoporosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were to evaluate the relationship between osteoporosis, oral signs, body mass index and age; and to assess the possibility of using these parameters as an indicator of post-menopausal osteoporosis. The oral signs were panoramic-based mandibular indices, such as cortical width, cortical index, panoramic mandibular index and mandibular crest resorption degree; the number of teeth and fractal dimension analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight post-menopausal women between the ages of 40 years and 64 years were evaluated. Mandibular indices and the number of mandibular teeth were measured and evaluated from panoramic radiographs and fractal dimension was calculated from the direct digital periapical radiographs of the mandibular premolar-molar region in box-counting method. Weight, height, menopausal status and age of the patients were recorded by questionnaire. Bone mineral densities of the patients were measured with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study there were no statistically significant differences between the osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic patients for cortical width, panoramic mandibular index, alveolar crest resorption degree, fractal dimension and the number of mandibular teeth, but there was a difference for cortical index. Binary logistic regression analyses demonstrated that age (P = 0.015) was an important risk factor for osteoporosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study demonstrated that osteoporotic patients were more likely to have altered inferior cortex morphology than non-osteoporotic patients and age is an important risk factor for osteoporosis.
authors.affiliation: Selcuk Universitesi Dis Hekimligi Fakultesi, Oral Diagnoz ve Radyoloji Anabilim Dali, 42079 Konya Turkey. drfyasar@hotmail.com
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yaşar
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akgünlü
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015519:Bone Density; D005260:Female; D017709:Fractals; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008334:Mandible / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008336:Mandibular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016062:Porosity; D019252:Radiography, Dental, Digital; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D012307:Risk Factors; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging