Risk for vertebral osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with osteopenia of the mandible

Background. Previous studies have suggested that a thin or eroded cortex of the mandible detected on dental panoramic radiographs is associated with low vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) or osteoporosis. However, those studies did not estimate the multivariate-adjusted risk for low vertebral BMD or osteoporosis associated with alterations of the mandible. Methods. BMD of the lumbar vertebrae (L2–L4) was compared among quartiles of cortical width and among three cortical shape categories in 450 postmenopausal women (mean age, 57.2 years), adjusted for potential confounders. The odds ratios for low BMD or osteoporosis according to cortical width and shape were also calculated. Results. Significant associations were found between cortical width and shape and vertebral BMD. The odds ratio for low vertebral BMD associated with the second, third, and lowermost quartiles of cortical width was 1.71 (95% CI, 0.96–3.05), 2.30 (95% CI, 1.29–4.11), and 5.43 (95% CI, 2.16–10.71), respectively, compared to the uppermost quartile. The odds ratios for osteoporosis according to cortical width category were similar to those for low BMD. The odds ratio for low BMD associated with mildly to moderately and severely eroded cortices was 3.85 (95% CI, 2.37–6.25) and 7.84 (95% CI, 2.57–23.90), respectively, compared to normal cortex. The odds ratio for osteoporosis associated with mildly to moderately and severely eroded cortices was 4.73 (95% CI, 2.54–8.80) and 14.73 (95% CI, 6.14–35.47), respectively. Conclusions. Postmenopausal women with alterations of the mandible may have an increased risk for low vertebral BMD or osteoporosis.