Relationship of osteoporosis to excessive residual ridge resorption.

There are many systemic factors which contribute to alveolar bone loss and decreased ability to tolerate dental prostheses. Osteoporosis should be considered as a possibility. Observation of the high numbers of osteoporotic fractures in the geriatric population serves to illustrate the scope of this problem. The condition of osteoporosis results in bone loss in the maxillae and mandible as well as in other bones of the body. It is highly feasible that the disease makes a strong contribution to the deterioration of the dental health in the geriatric patient. The American diet is too low in calcium and too high in phosphorus. Added to the high incidence of lactose intolerance, it is difficult to control the mineral content of a patient's diet by simple modification of eating habits. Dietary supplementation is a convenient and inexpensive alternative. Rampant residual ridge resorption is a multifactorial problem. It is part of the responsibility of the dentist to consider all factors involved in this state. The dentist would serve the patient well by working in conjunction with the patient's physician in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic states. The dentist has much to gain in the systemic treatment of the "impossible denture patient," for it is the dentist who must endure the frustrations of treating such a patient.