Relationships between mandibular and skeletal bone in an osteoporotic population.

This study attempted to determine relationships between bone mass in the mandible and skeletal bone mass in a group of 85 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Mandibular bone mass was determined by microdensitometry, cortical thickness at the gonion, the height of the alveolar ridge in subjects who were edentulous, and periodontal probings. Skeletal measures were made up of total body calcium, bone mass at the radius, and the two newer bone mass measures of dual photon and computed tomography of the vertebrae. The height of the edentulous ridge correlated with total body calcium and mandibular mass. Most of the edentulous patients had ridges that were extremely resorbed. Mandibular mass correlated with all skeletal measures.