Tooth loss and bone mineral density among women: a cross-sectional survey.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the association between total tooth loss and bone mineral density to determine whether the former can be used as a surrogate marker of the latter.


METHODS
A community based cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
The community-study area of the Faculty of Medicine, Galle.


METHODS
A group of randomly selected 327 women volunteers aged 32 to 97 years.


METHODS
Anthropometry, total number of teeth lost and bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine and proximal femur.


RESULTS
In categorical analysis, after adjusting for possible confounding factors, mean BMDs of the spine and proximal femur showed no significant differences in the thirds of the total tooth loss. In regression analysis, a loss of one tooth was negatively associated with spine BMD of premenopausal women by 0.003 g/cm2 and the trochanteric BMD of postmenopausal and all women by 0.001 g/cm2. These associations, however, were not seen in other skeletal sites.


CONCLUSIONS
Total tooth loss did not show a uniform and significant association with bone mineral density, measured at relevant skeletal sites. Total tooth loss as a surrogate marker of low bone density cannot be justified in this population of women.
Lekamwasam
Sarath
S
Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Galle, Sri Lanka. sarathlk@sltnet.lk
Lenora
Janaka
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D015415:Biomarkers; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D013188:Sri Lanka; D016388:Tooth Loss
D015415:Biomarkers