Aim: To assess the influence of gender and age on different parameters of alveolar bone loss using orthopantomogram.
Materials and methods: Eighty subjects were enrolled in the study (20 dentulous and 60 completely edentulous), fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Completely edentulous subjects were divided into four groups (15 males and 15 females above 60 years) and (15 males and 15 females below 60 years). Dentulous group comprised 20 subjects (10 males and 10 females) between 41 and 75 years. After taking panoramic radiographs, vertical as well as horizontal reference lines were drawn. The parameters used for evaluation included mandibular cortical index (MCI), inferior mandibular cortical width (MCW), panoramic mandibular index (PMI), alveolar bone loss (ABL), and height of bone at first premolar (Hp) and first molar (Hm) of the mandible.
Results: There was significant association between MCI and age for females with C2 and C3 categories being more common with advancing age. MCW was stable in all groups, except in females above 60 years of age. PMI and ABL were nonsignificant for age and gender. Although the average values of bone height (Hm and Hp) for males were higher than those of females, the results were statistically insignificant.
Conclusion: Panoramic radiographic measurements could provide much valuable information and could help in evaluating patients with a low bone mineral density (BMD) with a few limitations.
Clinical significance: Dental professionals could screen the patients through panoramic radiographs taken during routine clinical examination, which could help in identifying patients with a low BMD so that further treatment could be initiated early and thus to prevent a pathologic fracture.
Keywords: Bone mineral density; Edentulous patient; Osteoporosis Panoramic radiograph..